The Lives That Were Never Theirs To Have
by Hermione's Shadow
Summary: Tony, Kate, Ziva, and Gibbs... They all have one thing in common, the lives that could have, and should have been theirs. Fate though, disagreed. Just a look at what could have been for some of our favorite characters. No pairings. Complete
1. Beloved Son

**Beloved Son**

**A/N: **Hey guys, you will notice that I did change some of the scenes that already happened just slightly, so please don't review saying "hey, they didn't say that then." For example, in this chapter I used a quote from McGee for a certain scene that he didn't actually say until the next episode. Anyway, that's about it. I'm not sure when I will get the next chapter up since I'm back in school, but I will do my best. Thanks ^_^

**Disclaimer:** Believe me, if they belonged to me, McGee wouldn't get such crappy lines most of the time.

**I also want to thank anny385 for allowing me to borrow her idea. Her story _Five Lives that Weren't His, was the inspiration for this story, so if you have a chance, check it out!!!_**

* * *

"Dad?" Tony asked uncertainty as his father entered the room.

"Yeah, Tony" Anthony DiNozzo Sr asked his twelve year old son wearily; it had been a long day.

"Do you have to work all day tomorrow too?"

DiNozzo Sr sighed, "Yes, I'm supposed to. I have a deal I need to close."

"Oh," was all young Tony had to say in response. "Ok, well I'm going to go to bed, night dad."

DiNozzo Sr watched his son disappear through the doors that led to his bed. He had brought Tony on this business trip with him because he thought they might be able to spend some time together. Instead, he had spent the first four days in meetings that went from early in the morning until late at night. To be completely honest, DiNozzo Sr would rather spend the day doing things with this son, but these meetings were important, he couldn't afford to not to go. As he sat on his own bed, he examined the thought processes that had just gone through his head. Who was he kidding? These people all wanted his business, he could put them off for one day at least. With that thought he picked up his cell phone, "Yeah Bill, cancel all my appointments and meetings for tomorrow and reschedule for the next day, I'm spending the day with my son."

The next morning Tony was woken up early by the sound of his dad calling him. Confused, Tony rolled over and looked at the time. It was 8:00 A.M. His dad should have left already. Usually he would come in around 6:00 A.M. and whisper goodbye before slipping out the door. Why was he still here?

"Dad?" Tony asked coming out into the main sitting area of their hotel. "Why are you still here? Is everything all right?"

"I cleared my schedule for the day. You and I are spending the day together having fun."

A huge smile made its way to Tony's face, "Really?" He asked.

"Yes, and I'm leaving my phone here so no one can bother us."

Tony and his dad had never been big on physical affection, usually just a pat on the back, but right now Tony was so happy he couldn't help but give his dad a hug. He had been excited when his dad had asked if he wanted to come to Hawaii with him, even though he knew he probably wouldn't see much of his dad. Still, he had been slightly disappointed when his dad's time had completely been monopolized by meetings, he had hoped they would at least get to spend the evening together. For the rest of the day they spent time going sigh seeing, snorkeling, surfing, and all sorts of island things. At the end of the day they were both so tired they could barely make it back into their room before they collapsed. As Tony went off to bed, he turned around to his dad and said, "Thanks dad, this was the best trip and the best day ever."

* * *

"Dad?" twenty year old Tony asked coming in to his fathers office. "Can we talk?"

"Sure son, what do you want to talk about?"

Tony swallowed nervously, "Umm, its about college, and my future. You see, I'm...I'm not sure I want to take over you business when I graduate. I've been doing a lot of thinking and I want to be a cop." Tony sat across from his father watching his reaction nervously. He didn't want to disappoint his father, but the last couple years of college had be torture for him. He loved the college life, and he loved his fraternity, but he hated all his business classes. He didn't think he could take anymore.

"Is that what you really want?" DiNozzo Sr asked after a moment.

"Yes, I already talked to counselor and he said that its not too late for me to change my major. I just can't see myself sitting in board meetings all day dealing with people I don't like who only want my money. I want to do something more active, something where I can make a difference in someone's life."

DiNozzo Sr. examined his son closely. "If that is really what you want to do son, than go for it."

"You're not disappointed?" Tony asked.

To say that he wasn't a little disappointed would be lying, but more than that, he was proud of his son. "A little, but Tony, I'm proud of you for pursuing what you want to do, and living your own life. I never did, I followed in my fathers footsteps like I was expected to and never asked questions or challenged the path that was laid out for me. I want you to live your dreams Tony, not mine. You just tell me if you need anything from me and I will do whatever I can to help."

Once again, a massive smile made its way to Tony's face, he had thought his father would support him, but to hear his father say he was proud of him made Tony's heart soar.

* * *

"Hey dad," Tony said as he heard his father come on the line.

"Hey, Jr. How are you? I haven't heard from you in a while.

Tony sighed, "Well, it looks like I'm going to be moving again." There was silence on the other end for a moment.

"Again? What happened Tony?" Sr asked his son.

"Well you know how unhappy I was there, its been coming for a while. My coworkers were mostly a bunch of idiots."

As Sr. listened to his son he could tell something was wrong, there was more than Tony was telling him. "Son, what happened?"

Tony took a deep breath. "John...John was killed."

"Oh Tony," he responded knowing how close his son had been to his older partner. Tony had advanced quickly and become a detective at an incredibly young age. As a result, very few of his coworkers respected him or were even nice to him. It was one of the reasons this was Tony's third department in such short time. Here though, Tony had found a partner who not only supported him, but also respected him and treated him as an equal. "How, what happened?"

Tony told his father the story of how they had come across a dead civilian and a dead sailor. When they ran the sailors identity, less than three hours later NCIS had shown up and demanded to be let in on the investigation. It had been a few tense moments when the captain had agreed to a joint investigation and had directed a stern looking man with graying hair, a marine cut, and the most piercing blue eyes Tony had ever seen to him and his partner. The man had introduced himself as Gibbs, and quickly introduced the blonde girl next to him as Agent Backladder, and the older Scottish gentleman with him as Doctor Mallard, his ME. He told his father how over the next three days the two teams had worked surprisingly well together in spite of the tense first meeting and how his partner and the marine seemed to have a lot in common and seemed to have a mutual respect for each other. This had surprised DiNozzo Sr because he knew that it took a lot to earn John's respect. He listened as his son told him how for three days the two teams had chased down lead after lead only to come up empty handed until that third day. Gibbs and his agent had been out tracking down a contact of the dead sailor's when Tony had pieced together the clue they had been missing, the clue that led them to an abandoned warehouse. Tony and John had immediately jumped in the car and called Gibbs on the way. Gibbs and Backladder weren't that far out, they would only arrive 10 minutes behind John and Tony, although Tony had confided in John that he suspected they would make it in five with Gibbs driving after he had hung up. The plan was simple. Go to the warehouse, wait for backup, then sweep the building. However, nothing in Tony's life was simple and the moment the partners parked the car and got out to gear up, the first shots had rung out. Pinned behind the car with their vests out of reach, Tony and John had done their best to hold off their attackers, two by Tony's count. After spotting better cover for them both, Tony signaled to John who agreed. As they made their way over, attempting to cover each other, Tony didn't see the third shooter until it was too late. Before he even realized what was happening, he was pushed to the ground and watched helplessly as his partner took the bullet that was meant for his head to his chest. Tony had reacted immediately, killing the shooter with one shot, but it was too late. The damage had been done. As Tony desperately tried to stop the bleeding as he knelt next to his partner, he was barely aware of Gibbs and Backladder arriving and eliminating the other two suspects. He only became aware of their presence when he heard Backladder calling for an ambulance and felt Gibbs kneeling next to him in an attempt to help add pressure. He watched helplessly as his partner turned to Gibbs and whispered, "Take care of him for me," before taking his final breath.

For one of the few times in his life, Anthony DiNozzo Sr felt truly helpless as his son stopped talking. He desperately wanted to comfort his son, but he was hours away and he didn't know what to say. He had never had a job where you depended on your partner day in and day out to keep you alive, so he couldn't even pretend to understand what his son was experiencing. He was also having difficulty coming to terms with how close he had come to losing his son. He knew that in his line of work, danger was an everyday factor, but hearing the story from his son's own mouth, if John hadn't reacted as quickly as he had, he knew very well he would be planning his own son's funeral. "When's the funeral?" he finally asked.

"In three days. Gibbs and his team had to return to DC to finish processing the case on their end, but he told me he'd be here for the funeral and he doesn't seem like the type to go back on his word."

The last part of the statement surprised DiNozzo Sr. He had never heard his son speak so respectfully of a coworker aside from John, especially not only three days after meeting them. "I'll be there too. I liked John, he was a good man."

"Thanks Dad," Tony replied. There was silence for a moment before either spoke again.

"So what are you going to do now?" DiNozzo Sr asked. "You said you were moving."

"Yeah, Gibbs offered me a position on his team at NCIS. Its a good offer and I'm going to take, there's nothing left for me here. It will be good to start fresh. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to stay for more than 2 years. If nothing else Gibbs seems like he'll be interesting to work for." DiNozzo Sr's heart broke at his son's attempt at a joke. This new job should be an exciting new adventure for Tony. He was making the leap from detective to federal agent at a still relatively young age, and yet, it was shadowed by John's death.

"It'll be good for you, son." he said, attempting to comfort and reassure Tony in some way. "Besides, it sounds like from what you've told me Gibbs will be fair to work for. If John liked him then you know he must be a good man."

"Yeah," Tony agreed tiredly.

"Listen, you need to get some sleep, but promise me you will call me if you need anything, even if its just to talk. You don't have to deal with this on your own."

"Ok, thanks dad."

"Your welcome son." As Anthony hung up with his son, he stared at the picture next to his phone of the day Anthony had graduated from the Academy. His smile was so bright then, much bigger than it was now. The years, as few as they had been, had not been kind to Tony, and his smile had faded a little bit with each new city. It had started coming back when he worked with John, but now Anthony feared that he might never see his son smile that big again. He just hoped and prayed that this Agent Gibbs might help to prove him wrong.

* * *

"But I just talked to him, yesterday, last night. He was fine then, I don't understand." Anthony DiNozzo Sr. said as he frantically searched the website he was on before swearing under his breath. "I can't get another flight out for another 4 hours, it will be quicker for me to just drive," he said standing up and grabbing the minimum amount of things he would need and throwing them in his duffle bag. "What exactly happened, Agent Gibbs?" he questioned, his voice harsher than he intended.

"Anthony opened a letter that was contaminated with pneumonic plague," If DiNozzo Sr didn't know Agent Gibbs so well, he might of thought that Gibbs was joking with him. But he did know Gibbs, not only through his son's story, but through personal meetings too. Even if he didn't know the man personally, the anguish in Gibbs's voice alone was enough to scare him. He knew the Marine wasn't one to wear his heart on his sleeve, or let emotion show through, which is what scared him the most. For Gibbs to allow the fear to be heard in his voice told DiNozzo Sr that this was very real, and incredibly serious.

"I'm on my way," he said before hanging up. Gibbs closed his cell phone and took a deep breath to calm himself down. It was the first moment he had had to himself since he had received the devastating news. He had to keep it together for his team because they had to be at the top of their game, they couldn't know just how scared Gibbs was because he was their leader, and he had done a good job of holding himself together until that phone call. As soon as the results had come back Gibbs first thought was that Tony's father had needed to know. He knew it would kill the older man, but Gibbs wanted him to come as soon as possible hoping that his fathers presence would encourage Tony to keep fighting harder, at the very least though, Gibbs wanted to make sure that Anthony Sr was their for his son's last hours to be able to say goodbye, to give him the chance that Gibbs himself had never had. Gibbs stopped himself when he realized what he was thinking, that wouldn't happen. Tony was going to be fine, and he was going to get the person responsible.

The drive from New York to D.C. was probably the longest drive between the two cities DiNozzo Sr had ever experienced even though he made it in half his normal time. As much as he didn't want to think of it, he couldn't help but think that his son could die without him there. Every time that thought crossed through his mind, he pushed down on the gas pedal a little harder. It was only by the grace of God that he hadn't gotten a speeding ticket. As he rushed through the hospital doors and found his son's location, his heart stopped as he caught his first glimpse of the room they were keeping his son in and his first glimpse of his son. As he came closer, he noticed his son wasn't alone, and his heart gave another painful jolt as he realized that his son's partner Kate was in the room as well. Gibbs hadn't mentioned that she had been contaminated as well. His thoughts briefly wandered to her parents and his heart went out to them when he remembered they lived in Indiana and wondered if they would make it in time. Suddenly he was approached by a doctor who informed him that even though he was Tony's father, he couldn't enter the room and risk exposure or introducing any new germs. He was about to protest when he caught sight of Ducky.

"Ducky, thank God, what is happening?"

As Ducky led him to a chair, he began explaining, "I'm afraid that Anthony has been infected with a strand of the plague that has been altered to withstand any modern medications of treatment."

"My God," he responded. "What exactly does that mean?"

Ducky sighed heavily before answering. "It means that young Anthony is completely on his own this time. It is up to him and his body to fight off the plague. He has the same chances as those in the 1300's."

DiNozzo Sr sat in silence for several minutes as the news sank in. "How is Kate doing, Gibbs didn't tell me she had been infected too" he finally asked, not able to talk about his son while he fought for his life in front of his eyes.

"She wasn't," Ducky answered.

"What, then why is she in there?"

"She went with Tony to do the initial testing because she was closest to him when the envelope was opened and she was already sick. When the results came back, she refused to leave him by himself."

DiNozzo Sr didn't respond, but his eyes moistened and he couldn't help his heart swell with gratitude for the brave young woman. Even though his son had been in some bad situations over the past two and a half years, he couldn't help but thank Gibbs everyday for taking his son under his wings. Tony's smile had returned just as bright and he had never seen his son happier than in the last few years, and he had finally found coworkers who truly cared about him, and had become more than just coworkers, but had become friends as well. Suddenly, there was a flurry of action and Ducky was on his feet, moving toward the room. He desperately wanted to jump up and rush to his son's side, but suddenly his legs had turned to led. Fear gripped his entire body and paralyzed him. He watched helplessly as Kate walked out of the room and into Ducky's arms, tears pouring down her face. He watched as Gibbs stormed into the room, blew past the doctors, turned to say something to them, and then went to Tony's side. He watched as Gibbs leaned over and speak softly into Tony's ear, hand him something, and then walk out.

It wasn't until Gibbs walked out of the isolation chamber and their eyes met that DiNozzo Sr was finally able to move again. He finally was able to force his legs to cooperate and stood as his son's Boss approached him and guided him to the hallway just outside.

"Agent Gibbs," he said finding his voice. "How is Tony? How is my son?" He had managed to find his voice, but it was still shaky and laced with emotion. "The doctors wouldn't let me in, and then everything happened so fast, I just couldn't...I couldn't make my legs work," he admitted, slightly ashamed.

Gibbs stared at the broken man in front of him and his heart went out to him. He understood that paralyzing fear, better than anyone. He had felt it many, many years ago, just after Kelly had been born. What had started out as a mild cold had turned into a deadly fever. After hours of pacing the floor of the E.R. the parents were allowed to hold their baby girl for the first time in over 12 hours. Gibbs remembered the fear he had felt waiting for news as clearly as it had been yesterday. He also remembered the pain of losing Kelly, the feeling of despair that had consumed him after she and Shannon had been killed. They were feelings that he never wished on any parent. Putting his hand on the man's shoulder he spoke softly but firmly, allowing his emotions to filter through as he spoke, "Tony is going to be fine Mr. DiNozzo, he's a fighter and he doesn't have my permission to die." As DiNozzo Sr heard Gibbs speak those words and looked into his eyes, he found himself believing Gibbs, suddenly as if the fear he had been feeling suddenly vanished and was replaced the same confidence that Gibbs had. "I'm glad to be able inform you that the person responsible for this has been caught. Sadly, this was all brought on as a result of a horrible misunderstanding and one very, very sick woman."

"Thank you Agent Gibbs," he said shaking the man's hand. "Thank you for taking care of him when I couldn't." Gibbs simply shook his head and the two men continued to talk for a few minutes, discussing the case in more detail. Taking a deep breath, he thanked Gibbs once more before he turned and walked back into the room, pausing slightly as he saw his son's coworkers in deep conversation. He could see that his son's youngest coworker Agent McGee was clearly upset, and Kate was attempting to comfort him.

"That's easy for you to say Kate, you're not the idiot who handed him an envelope full of plague, and not the one who listed off all the horrible things it could potentially be, only to have one of them to be true." As DiNozzo Sr listened to his son's young coworker beat himself up, he couldn't help but feel bad for him.

"Tim, listen to me," Kate said, using her firmest voice. "This is not your fault, and besides, Tony is going to be fine."

"She's right you know," DiNozzo Sr said coming up behind the agent.

"Mr. DiNozzo," McGee said, slightly startled.

"Kate's right Agent McGee, this is not your fault."

"But..."

"Are you the one who put the plague in the envelope?"

"No, but"

"No buts, Tim," Kate said again, once again trying to reach through to Tim. "You didn't even hand it to him, Tony grabbed the envelope from you so shouldn't that make it his fault?" Kate questioned.

"No!!" Tim replied, clearly horrified at the idea.

"Exactly," Kate responded. "Don't you see, its no more your fault than it is Tony's."

As DiNozzo Sr watched the two of them he was once again struck by how much his son's team was like a family. They bugged each other and drove each other insane, but the moment one of them was in trouble, they were there to support them and hold them up.

"You really should listen to her Tim, she's very smart." Mr. DiNozzo said winking at Kate making her smile slightly. "Besides, if Tony hadn't grabbed that envelope from you than your positions might be reversed, and as much as he torments you, I know that Tony would much rather go through this himself, than watch either you or Kate go through it. Now from what hear from Agent Gibbs, you haven't stopped working to catch the person responsible for this since the envelope was opened and for that I owe you a thank you. Now go home and rest because you know Tony will expect you to visit him tomorrow and he will tease you mercilessly if you don't." He was happy to see the young man finally accept the arguments, although he didn't seem completely convinced.

"Come on Tim, lets go get some to eat. I'll be back in a bit Mr. DiNozzo," Kate said, slipping her arm through McGee's and walking out with him leaving the father alone for the first time since he had come. DiNozzo Sr sighed before finally entering the isolation chamber. It was terrifying to see how fragile his son looked. He was used to seeing his son full of energy and life, not still and pale.

"Oh Tony," he whispered softly as he came to his son's side.

"Dad?" Tony responded, opening his eye slightly. "Why are you here?" he asked slightly confused.

"Gibbs called me a little while ago. I came as fast as I could," he responded.

"How'd you get here so fast?" Tony wheezed, his eyes drifting closed.

"I drove," he responded and then chuckled when Tony's eyes flew back open. "Relax, I didn't get into or cause any accidents, nor did I get any tickets." DiNozzo Sr sat there by his son's side for the next hour while Tony slept. Kate returned with a fresh pair of hospital issue pajama's determined to stay with Tony through the night. As DiNozzo Sr. left the hospital and found a hotel, he slept well that night knowing that his son would be well taken care of.

* * *

"Dad," Tony's voice came over the line quiet and heartbroken. DiNozzo Sr knew that tone of voice and it was with dread and trepidation that he asked the next questioned.

"What happened?"

"She's gone," Tony replied, clearly dazed.

"Who?" DiNozzo Sr asked, his stomach and heart constricting. There were really only two women in Tony's life who would have him this upset.

"Kate," Tony choked out.

"What do you mean gone?" he asked, hating himself for it. He desperately wanted to hear his son say that she had moved, even though he knew he wouldn't.

"She's dead. She...she was murdered right in front of me," Tony said, allowing his emotions to take control for the first time since it had happened. Gibbs had left when they had taken Kate away and it was the first chance he had to get away. He instructed some jr agents to continue to canvas the scene and had left McGee in charge before walking to a gas station around the corner and locking himself in the bathroom. It wasn't until he stood infront of the mirror that he realized he still had Kate's blood on his face and the last string of control he had over his emotions snapped. The only thing he could think to do was call his dad and tell him. "She was standing right next to me, laughing," he said tears sliding down his face freely. "She said, 'I thought I'd die before I ever heard a compl...' and then she was gone. She didn't even get to finish her sentence. The bullet came out of nowhere. It went straight...straight into the...into the center of her head. Right between her eyes. Just like that," he finished pathetically. "Her blood, its all over my face," he choked out, tears threatening to fall once more.

On his father's end there was silence for several moments before he spoke. "I don't know what to say, 'sorry' just doesn't do it." Even in his state of mind, Tony was grateful that his father didn't try to just placate him. He would being hearing "sorry" nonstop for the next few weeks from people meaning well but not truly understanding. He would much rather listen to his father's silence, just knowing he was there was enough.

"Maybe its time for me to move on," Tony said sadly breaking the silence. "Its been over two years, I should have known this was going to happen. That's why I don't stay. The people I care about get hurt."

"This is not your fault," DiNozzo Sr said firmly, echoing Kate's words from less than a month ago. "You can't leave Tony, its not what you want and you know it. You're finally happy." Tony remained silence. "What about Tim?" he asked his son, knowing he could guilt his son into staying. He felt awful about it, but he also knew this time, his son needed to stay. In the past, his son moved on because that was what was best for him. This time, he knew his son wanted to leave because he was scared and he was running, not because it was what was best for him. "It isn't just you anymore. He looks up to you and looks to you for guidance whether you realize it or not. You didn't hear the way he beat himself up while you were in that isolation chamber, or how hard it was for Kate and myself to convince him that what happened to you wasn't his fault. What do you think is going to happen to him if you leave? Do you trust anyone else to continue to teach and continue to protect him? What about Gibbs? Do you trust anyone else to watch his six or stand up to him when someone needs to?" There was another long silence before Tony responded.

"You're right dad, thanks for not letting me run away. I need to go check on Tim. I'll call you back when we know when the funeral is going to be. I have a terrorist to track down."

* * *

"I don't know if I can do this anymore dad, I don't think I can lose anyone else. Who's next, Gibbs? Or Abby? Or what about Tim?"

"This wasn't your fault son, Ziva made her decision. There was nothing you could have done."

"I could have handled things differently,"

"No, you did everything you could to try to help her and protect her. It nearly cost you your job, and it nearly cost you your life Tony. You know that I don't hesitate to call you out when you're wrong, but this time Tony, she was wrong. She lied to you and the entire team."

"Logically I know all of that, but it doesn't make it any easier."

"No, it doesn't. She never really had a chance though Tony. Her father has been manipulating her emotions and holding his love for her ransom. He forced her to earn his love but he had her so conditioned she couldn't see that. She needed to find out who he was for herself, it wasn't something anyone could tell her. I'm just sorry it ultimately cost her, her life."

"I'm going after her," Tony finally said after some silence. "After the men responsible."

"I thought you said she died," DiNozzo Sr replied, confused by his son's response.

"She did. I'm going after those responsible, she deserves justice. I may not be able to get to her father, but I can at least get the ones who committed the physical crime."

DiNozzo Sr paused for a moment before responding. "Nothing I can say will change your mind will it, you've already made your decision."

"Yes, I need to do this or I will never be able to move on. In fact, this is the main reason I called you. The plan has already been set, we leave tomorrow. The plan is for me and Tim to get ourselves captured. I just wanted you to know."

"Just promise me you will both come back. I can't lose you, and I don't think Gibbs could stand to lose another child."

His father's last comment caught Tony off guard. "What do you mean?"

"Gibbs lost Kelly and now Ziva. You guys may not see it as clearly, but as a father myself I can tell that he thinks of you guys as his children. He may not say it directly, but believe me. I don't think he could take losing you and Tim as well."

"We'll come back dad, I promise."

* * *

Pretty please review? ^_^ Compliments, questions, suggestions and constructive criticism gladly accepted...flames not so much


	2. Wife and Mother

**Wife and Mother**

A/N: ok, so this chapter is a bit different than Tony's because instead of rewriting her entire life, I rewrote her death and then continued from there. I also did my best to keep it as accurate to what actually happened as I could.

Disclaimer: I don't own...

* * *

"Shooter," Kate yells as she sees the terrorist aim his gun at her boss's head. She doesn't even think as she jumps in front of the gunman. It is pure instinct. She feels the bullet impact before falling to the ground. She hears gunfire above her as she allows the pain to consume her. Suddenly she feels frantic hands rolling her over and unzipping her jacket. She hears them both release breaths as they see the vest, and feels Gibbs hand brush her hair back.

"You ok?" Tony asks her.

"Oww," she says letting them know that she is indeed ok. "I just took a bullet at point blank range DiNozzo. What do you think?" she answers back wanting to ease their worry. It works, Tony's reply is just as teasing.

"You won't be doing pilates tomorrow?" he responds as she groans again. The pain is still intense as they help her up, but she tries to ignore it. 'I know it still hurts even with the vest, but I didn't think it'd hurt this bad,' she thinks to herself.

"Protection detail's over Kate." She hears Gibbs say.

"You did good Kate," Tony compliments her. She barely hears him, she is too focused on the pain that is getting worse by the second.

"For once, DiNozzo's right." Gibbs adds, momentarily making her forget about the pain. A compliment from both of them, just couldn't go unacknowledged.

"Wow," she starts, "I thought," but she doesn't finish as pain explodes all around her side causing her to collapse. As she falls there is a loud crack and a bullet whizzes over her, right where her head had been seconds ago. She is vaguely aware of Tony and Gibbs shouting into their gear, warning McGee and calling for backup, but she can't focus, the pain is too much. She puts her hand to her side, only to find it wet. 'That isn't right,' she thinks to herself. 'It isn't raining and I don't think I fell in any liquid.' Suddenly Tony and Gibbs are focused on her again but she can't understand what they are saying, her vision is getting blurry. Suddenly she feels her hand being replaced by theirs and they are pushing down over the area that hurts and she yells out in pain. As she loses her hold on consciousness, one last thought slips through her head, 'that wasn't liquid, that was blood.'

* * *

"Kate, wake up!!" Gibbs ordered her as her eyes slid closed. "Dammit! Where the hell is our backup?" he yelled. He and Tony were pinned down, unable to move in fear of exposing themselves to Ari. As he kept pressure on Kate's wound, he couldn't help but ask himself, 'How did we miss the second bullet?'

"I don't get it," Tony said breaking Gibbs out of his thoughts. "Why didn't the vest work?"

"I don't know." They were both worried, not only about Kate, but McGee as well. McGee was currently separated from them with no backup and very little cover. Without an exact fix on Ari, he was still in a great deal of danger. Finally after what seemed like hours, their back up finally arrived and swept the other buildings, declaring the area safe for medical personal to enter.

"Tony, stay here with McGee and make sure the other agents get the scene secured. Make sure they get any evidence sent back to Abby. Once things are under control here you guys can come to the hospital. Ducky and Abby should already be there." Gibbs instructed before jumping into the ambulance to ride with Kate. As soon as they arrived at the hospital Kate was rushed into surgery and Gibbs was left pacing the waiting room. It wasn't until 10 minutes later that the seriousness of the situation finally hit him and he collapsed into one of the chairs. In spite of his exterior of steel, Gibbs feared every single day for his agents. His mind went back five months prior and the conversation he had with Kate while they were searching for DiNozzo. Part of him regretted his words to her. Would she think that he didn't care? His mind began racing with a million thoughts; he had lost comrades in war before, but this was different. He quickly put a stop to that line of thought, Kate was still alive and she was going to be fine. He had been there for about an hour when Ducky and Abby walked through the doors.

"Gibbs," Abby cried the moment she saw him. One look at her and Gibbs knew he immediately needed to stay strong. The moment she even sensed that he was worried she would lose the last bit of control she had on her emotions. Even as she stood sobbing in his arms, he knew that she still had a small amount of control on her emotions. As he held her, he looked at Ducky, silently asking him to see what he could find out. Ducky simply shook his head before disappearing through the doors. Five minutes later Gibbs phone rang and he stepped outside to answer it.

"Sitrep," Gibbs answered.

"All of the buildings have been completely canvassed. We found the bullet Ari shot over us and a whole bunch of other things in the various buildings, but no sign of Ari. He managed to get away. We have a bolo out, but not much else. The bodies of the terrorists we killed will be on their way to autopsy shortly and Abby is going to have days of evidence to sort through when she gets back." Tony paused for a moment before asking the question that Gibbs didn't have an answer to.

"There is no word yet," Gibbs responded quickly. He was about to hang up, but he sensed that Tony had more to say. Normally he would yell at his agent to just spit it out, but he knew that Tony was as scared for Kate as he was.

"I know this sounds awful, but part of me is glad the vest didn't work. Otherwise she might have still been standing when he took the shot. That bullet passed right where...right where her head was. At least now she still has a chance." There was another silence before either of them spoke again.

"Leave someone competent in charge, Tony. You and Tim head over here," Gibbs said finally hanging, hating himself for what he was about to do, because Tony had just reinforced his earlier thoughts. Ari hadn't been aiming at him when he took that shot, he had been aiming at Kate. The moment Ari had asked about her the night before, alarm bells had gone off for Gibbs, but his missed shot less than 3 hours ago confirmed Gibbs suspicions. He turned around only to come face to face with Ducky.

"How's she doing?"

"She's still in surgery but stable for now. She won't be completely out of danger for another 24 hours, but she should be just fine."

"Have you spoken to Abby yet?"

"No, she was asleep when I came out, I didn't want to wake her until I have more information."

"Duck," Gibbs said heavily, "I need you to do something for me, and you aren't going to like it, but its the only way to keep Kate safe." As Gibbs began outlining his plan to his old friend, he could see the protests building up. "Ducky, you know that if there was another way that I knew I could keep everyone safe I would do it, but I would rather hurt them now, than lose them completely."

As Ducky listened to his friend, he knew there wasn't any other way. Gibbs may be able to fool everyone else, but Ducky could see past his shield; he may be able to hide the pain in his eyes from everyone else, but Ducky could see it all. He took a deep breath before agreeing with a heavy heart.

Gibbs watched as Ducky slipped back beyond the "Medical Personal" only doors, careful not to disturb Abby. Gibbs took another deep breath before once again pulling out his phone.

"Director, I need to discuss something with you"

Twenty minutes later, McGee and DiNozzo came rushing into the waiting room, waking up Abby.

"Any word?" Tony asked the minute they entered the room.

"No, the Duckman hasn't come back out yet," Abby said, immediately wrapping Tony in a hug. As the three of them sat back down Gibbs stomach churned, and for once, coffee wouldn't fix it. He hated himself for what he was about to put them through. Ten minutes later, Ducky came out looking very upset.

"Ducky?" Tony asked weakly, his grip tightening around Abby's waste.

"I'm sorry," was all Ducky managed to get out. A strangled cry escaped from Abby and it was clear the only thing holding her upright was Tony. Tony's fist tightened and Gibbs could tell the only thing keeping him from punching the nearest wall was the fact that Abby was in his arms clinging to him. McGee collapsed back into the seat behind him and put his head down in his hands. Gibbs could see his shoulders shaking with effort to keep his tears quiet. Ducky just looked at them sadly before looking into Gibbs eyes silently telling him he hoped he knew what he was doing. Looking at his team grieving, and Ducky's almost accusing eyes was too much and Gibbs stormed out of the waiting room. He had to find Ari, and he had to find him fast so he could get his team back to normal.

That night after the team headed back to NCIS, Ducky and Jimmy got Kate out of the hospital. After some careful deliberation it was decided that Kate would stay with Jimmy. Even if anyone suspected that her death had been faked, the last place anyone would look would be at Jimmy's place. Plus, this also ensured that Kate would have medical care if she needed.

The drive back to headquarters for the others had been quiet, the air in both vehicles filled with grief. Gibbs and Abby had gone straight back to NCIS while Tony and McGee had stopped at the warehouse to check on the progress of the agents they had left their earlier. By the time Gibbs and Abby arrived back at HQ it was raining. Abby had immediately sought the shelter of her lab, while Gibbs simply sat at his desk forcing himself to believe he had made the right decision. That was how DiNozzo and McGee had found him when they arrived back an hour later. Listening to them fight and lash out at each other as a result of their grief had been too much and Gibbs had almost told them right then and there; instead he went for coffee. The bullet that whizzed passed him and into Abby's lab on his way back had been all he needed to reaffirm his convictions. The next 48 hours had brought a whirlwind of change to NCIS. Director Morrow turned over the reigns to Gibbs former partner and lover, Jenny Shepard, Ari's Mossad control officer Ziva David had shown up, Ari had forced Ducky into a meeting by kidnapping Gerald and finally, Ziva had killed Ari in Gibbs basement; only then did he find out that she was his half-sister. Still, Gibbs knew it was all worth it when he called his team together in the bullpen to tell them he had news for them.

"Were you able to find out when Kate's funeral is going to be?" Tony asked tiredly. It was all Gibbs could do to keep from smiling as he saw Jimmy wheeling Kate up behind them in a wheelchair. Between Kate's obvious displeasure with the wheelchair, and knowing the utter joy his team would feel was making it nearly impossible for Gibbs to keep his face and voice from betraying him. Watching his team go through the last couple of days in such grief had been hard for him, but having his team whole and safe made it worth it.

"There isn't going to be a funeral," Gibbs said evenly. Immediately a chorus of protests and questions broke out.

"What? Why1?" they all demanded together.

"Because I'm not dead," came a voice from behind them they never thought they'd hear again. This time Gibbs actually smiled as he watched Tony, Tim, and Abby all whip around, nearly knocking each other down they turned so fast. There was a moment of shocked silence before the floodgates opened to tears, hugs, and questions.

The next week found team Gibbs off rotation so they could recover from the ordeal of the previous week. The following week found Agent Cassidy standing in for Kate as they got back on rotation. After she was nearly killed on a case she was reassigned and the third week since they thought she had died, Kate was back with the team, assigned to desk duty. The fourth week brought them all a surprise.

Tony walked in grumbling about Monday mornings. He was just commenting to himself about Gibbs when he heard giggling that made him turn around and stop in his tracks. Kate was sitting at her desk grinning with Ziva perched on the side. Kate whispered something to Ziva and they both laughed, all the while their eyes never leaving Tony. "Kate," Tony greeted slowly. "Ziva, what are you doing here?"

"She's here to join our team," Kate supplied happily. Ziva leaned down and whispered something to Kate and they both broke into another fit of giggles.

Tony just turned back to what he was doing mumbling "I am so screwed," under his breath.

* * *

Ziva, Kate, and Abby all sat laughing and sipping drinks at the bar, happy to have a night off and be in each other's company outside of work. It had been a rough couple of weeks, and the girls were glad to be able to have some fun with each other. Fresh off of having proven McGee's innocence in the death of a Metro cop, they had decided to go out and celebrate.

"That guy is totally checking you out Kate," Ziva whispered to her friend, nodding to the guy sitting at the other end of the bar. From the first day they met, Kate and Ziva had found kindred spirits in each other after discovering their equal enjoyment out of torturing Tony.

"No he isn't," Kate denied, blushing slightly.

"Yes he is," Abby said agreeing. "And he's kind of cute." Abby caught Ziva's eye and winked. "I have to use the ladies room, I'll be right back." Abby said, getting up.

"I do as well," Ziva said, getting up as she and Abby quickly walked away.

"You guys, don't leave," Kate hissed, glaring at her two friends. "I am so going to get back at you for this," muttered under her breath.

"Umm, is this seat taken?" a male voice asked coming up next to her. Kate turned to see the guy Ziva and Abby had been talking about. He really was kind of cute.

"Umm, my friends just got up to use the ladies room, but they should be back soon," Kate said, not wanting to seem desperate.

"Oh," the man said obviously downcast. "I'm sorry," he said starting to turn away.

"They might be gone a while though," Kate said taking pity on the man. "I'm Kate by the way," she said as he sat down.

"Steve," said the man smiling brightly.

* * *

Kate stood staring at the closed elevator doors along with the rest of the team. She turned to see the stunned looks of her teammates. Abby had moved next to McGee and was now crying into his shoulder. McGee stood holding Abby looking lost. Next, she looked up the stairs at the Director who looked almost heartbroken. She looked at Ziva standing next to her and saw the tears she had been fighting earlier finally slide down her face. Putting an arm around her friend, she finally turned to look at Tony who was staring dejectedly at the badge in his hand looking as if he hadn't quite processed what had just happened. Staring at her team, Kate suddenly felt her own tears falling down her cheek. How could Gibbs just walk away from them like that? She looked at Tony once more and found him looking back at her.

"We're going to be ok," he finally said breaking the silence. She and Ziva instinctively moved closer to him and noticed Abby and Tim do the same. "We just have to keep things running smoothly until Gibbs comes back," Tony told them, attempting to smile.

"You think he'll come back?" Abby asked timidly.

"I know he will," Ziva said confidently, looking at Abby. Abby smiled gratefully.

"Tony and Ziva are right," she said. "We kid's just have to hold down the fort till dad gets back," she said smiling at the rest of the team.

Kate closed the door of her dark apartment and collapsed against it taking a shaky breath. As she slid down the door she couldn't help the small sob that escaped. She had been so determined to stay strong for Tony and the rest of the team, she had yet to process the fact that Gibbs had left for herself. Suddenly she couldn't keep back the tears and she curled up on the floor still sobbing.

"Kate? Kate, what's wrong?" Steve asked rushing out of the room. "Kate, talk to me, please." He asked scared for her. In the nine months they'd been together, he had only seen her cry twice, and never this badly. He sat down on the floor next to her and she curled into him, continued to cry into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as her sobs subsided. He wasn't sure what was going on. She had called him twice over the last two days, but all she had time to tell him was that she wouldn't be home either night.

"It was supposed to be a routine op. Gibbs was going to arrest an undercover agent to get the information he had collected. We were sitting in the car waiting for him. Tony was talking about movies as usual," Kate told him, a small smile making its way to her face. "He mentioned 'The Sound of Music' and Ziva started to sing it so Tony threatened to lock her in a room and make her listen to 'It's a Small World' for 24 hours." At this Kate laughed a little and Steve joined her. He had met his girlfriend's colleagues on several occasions and he could picture exactly what she was describing.

"Then all of a sudden there was an explosion." Kate paused taking a deep breath. "It originated from the same room Gibbs was in. It...it nearly killed him. He was in a coma for a while and then when he woke up he...he didn't remember any of us." Kate said, tears falling once more. "He had a family," she whispered. "None of us knew that. He had a wife and an 8 year old daughter and they were murdered 15 years ago while he was serving his country. He never told any of us, not even Ducky. He didn't remember any of us, except for Ziva, somehow, she made him remember us. She's been here shorter than any of us and she was the one that was able to make him remember. Then he just quit; just like that. He came out of the director's office, said a few words to each of us, then asked Ducky to give him a ride home." She finished weakly. Steve sat holding his girlfriend not sure what to say. He knew how much she respected the older man and looked to him for guidance.

"Everyone just looked so abandoned after he left. Abby, Ziva, McGee, even the Director and Tony. Tony and I tried to rally everyone together, but I don't know what's going to happen when we go back into work Monday."

"Is someone taking over Gibbs spot?" Steve finally asked.

"Tony," Kate responded, then she laughed. "And I'm taking over Tony's. I don't know who's going to break up our fights now," she said giggling slightly. "Although now I have Ziva on my side and he's still afraid of her, even if he won't admit it."

They sat together in silence for another minute before Steve stood up and pulled Kate up with him. Putting his hands on her shoulders he kissed her forehead. "Tell you what, how about you change into your pajama's and we'll go to that little 24 our diner you like so much?"

Kate looked at him in surprise. "Aren't you on call tomorrow?"

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. I'll see if I can switch with someone," he responded making her heart melt. "Maybe you should invite everyone over tomorrow night too. Sounds like you guys all need to be together outside of the office."

"Have I told you how much I love you?" she asked hugging him.

"Yes, but I never get tired of hearing it," he responded hugging her back.

* * *

"Come on Ziva," Kate said laughing. "Don't be too hard on him, he already feels bad enough."

"You would be just as mad if he described you as lusting after Tony in his book," Ziva said angrily while Kate laughed.

"True," she said in agreement. "I would probably want to kill him too." This made all the girls laugh.

"He didn't even try that hard to change our names!" Abby added, referring to the book Tim wrote that they had found out about the day before.

"It's been a while since the three of us have been here," Kate said referring to the little cafe the girls had discovered in Georgetown on a shopping trip one day. It had quickly become the girls favorite place to go when they wanted a relaxing day out not far from home. "Wow, the place doesn't look that busy today," Kate said as they walked to the entrance missing the conspiratorial smiles Abby and Ziva gave one another.

"Surprise!!" came the shouts of her friends as she opened the door. Being the agent she was, Kate's hand immediately went to where she normally kept her sidearm, making her friends laugh.

"What are all you guys doing here?" Kate asked as she stared at the rest of her team including, Ducky, Jimmy and Jenny.

"I asked them here," Steve said stepping in front of them.

"Steve?" Kate asked smiling. "What's going on?"

"Well, you see, I've had this question I've been meaning to ask you," Steve started. "But I wanted to make sure I did it just right, so I enlisted the help of your team."

"Steve, I don..." she said breaking off as he got down on one knee

"Kate, the last year has been the best year of my life and I want every year for the rest of my life to be just like it. Will you marry me?" he asked.

Kate brought her hands up to her mouth as she stared at him. Suddenly she felt a sharp nudge from behind her and turned around. "I think you are supposed to answer him now, yes?" Ziva asked.

"Yes, YES!!!!" Kate yelled as everything sank in.

* * *

Kate stood looking at her reflection in the mirror and smiled.

"You look absolutely radiant," Ziva said with a smile.

"Thanks," Kate said smiling as she turned to face her bridesmaids.

"You ready," Abby asked smiling.

"I don't think I've ever been more ready for anything in my entire life," Kate responded.

The rest of the day flew by. Her family, her old friends from the secret service, and her entire team was there as well as his friends and family. It was easily the happiest day of her entire life. She got the surprise of her life when she looked up to see that Abby had actually convinced Gibbs get up and dance. He must have felt her watching him because he looked up at her and winked. He whispered something to Abby before walking over to Kate.

"May I have this dance," he asked as he approached her. Kate almost choked on her champagne making Gibbs laugh.

"Yes," Kate said setting it down and taking his hand as he led her to the dance floor.

"You look beautiful Katie," he said, using the nickname that she had only ever allowed him to use.

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with my boss?" Kate said teasingly.

"This today, it takes me back to when I married Shannon," Gibbs said reminiscing. "Steve's a good man, he'll take care of you."

"Having your approval means a lot to me," Kate said smiling with tears in her eyes.

"You do realize that when you get back from your honeymoon I go back being you big, bad, mean boss," Gibbs said smiling.

"Well then I will just enjoy this while it lasts," Kate said. They were almost to the end of the song when Tony appeared behind Gibbs asking to cut in.

"This is nice," Kate said as they spun around the dance floor.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked.

"This, the whole team together, having fun out of the office. Not thinking about work, no worries, not just celebrating the end of a case. It just feels like an actual family. You know the last thing I need is another older brother, but I guess I really don't mind letting you have the job," Kate said a smile playing at her lips.

"I never had a little sister growing up, but you and Abby have sure made up for it the last couple years." They both laughed enjoying the dance.

"Thank you for not pulling anything today Tony," Kate said as the song ended and they walked to the tables. "I think I might have actually had to have Ziva make good on her paperclip threat."

"I may do a lot of stuff you don't like Kate, but I wouldn't have done anything to ruin your big day." Tony said smiling. The rest of the evening went much the same way. Kate danced with Tim, Ducky and Jimmy, goofed around with Ziva and Abby, and spent the rest of the evening enjoying being a new wife. Before she and Steven left for the night, she pulled Abby and Tony off to the side for a quick conversation.

"I know you guys have been around longer than me and I'm sure the thought has already crossed your minds, but watch out for Gibbs. I know its been a couple weeks, but I'm still worried about him after the whole Maddie thing. He listens to you guys better than anyone aside from Ducky."

"Don't worry, you know we have his back," Tony said reassuring her.

"Yeah, you just go and enjoy your honeymoon," Abby said giving her a hug.

As she hugged her though, Kate whispered in her ear, "Keep an eye on Tony too, I know he's still hurting." As Kate walked away, she couldn't resist teasing Tony once more. "Oh and Tony, try not to annoy Ziva too much. I'd hate to come back to you dead and her on the run." Before Tony had a chance to respond though, Kate had disappeared through the doors of the ballroom.

* * *

"What do you mean lockdown!?" Kate hissed at Fornell. "My husband is expecting me to meet him for lunch. If I don't call him, he is going to worry."

"Relax Agent Todd,"

"Brooks," Kate snapped cutting Fornell off.

"Excuse me," Fornell drawled, clearly getting agitated. "Relax Agent Brooks, this won't take long."

"You better hope not," Kate said in a deathly quite voice, her face inches from Fornell. "Because if I miss lunch with my husband, a pissed off Gibbs in the elevator is going to seem like being locked in a room with a puppy compared to me," Kate finished before stomping away. Fornell and Tim stood there in shock while Gibbs, Tony and Ziva all had identical smirks on their faces.

"She is completely serious you know," Tony said laughing before turning around and following Kate, the rest of the team behind them. When they reached the evidence locker, they found a still very pissed off Kate pacing back and forth, ranting and raving to herself.

"I see why the FBI pisses you off so much Gibbs," Kate ranted. "They're nothing but a bunch of bull-headed pigs who have nothing better to do than screw with other agencies. Those arrogant morons sit up there on their high horse looking down on everyone like they are better than everyone else." Kate paused for a moment while her team stood watching in amusement, now joined by Ducky, Jimmy, and Abby. "Well have they watched any tv lately?" Kate began raging again. "Which agency is it that all the tv shows make fun of and look incompetent? Hey, guess what? Turns out those shows are right after all!!" Kate finished angrily before plopping down into a chair. Suddenly before the team even realized what was happening, she was sobbing. "I just want to go see Steve," she cried, as Abby and Ziva rushed to her side. Tony, Tim and Jimmy just stood their staring like deer caught in the headlights. Gibbs however, leaned over to Ducky and asked, "Is this what I think it is?"

"Most likely," Ducky said grinning.

"Think she knows yet?" Gibbs asked.

"She hasn't said anything to anyone yet and she doesn't act like she suspects so I doubt it."

"Fornell and Vance aren't going to know what hit them," Gibbs said smirking.

"What the hell's going on with Agent Todd?" Fornell asked Gibbs the moment he sat down. After the scene she had made in the bullpen, Fornell had opted for interrogating her first and was now on to Gibbs.

"Brooks," Gibbs corrected just to annoy the other man.

"Whatever," Fornell said clearly exasperated. "She comes in her screaming at me, then dissolves into tears on her own, and then goes back to yelling at me."

"Well Fornell, what do you think is going on?"

"Well the last time I was around a woman that hormonal she was...ohhh" Fornell said breaking off as he realized what Gibbs was getting at. "Your team is in for a long few months"

* * *

Kate stared at the plus sign in shock. It had been a week since the incident with Fornell, and all the excitement had caused Kate to completely miss the fact that she didn't get her period. When she finally realized it, she also realized that she hadn't had her period in a while . That had never happened before. Between the throwing up, the mood swings and now the missed period, Ziva and Abby had convinced her to take a test. She had taken the test 2 hours ago, as soon as she had gotten home from work, and she hadn't left the bathroom since. Plus she had gotten a call from Abby who had taken blood samples before she left confirming what the at home kit showed her. She heard the front door of the apartment open indicating that Steve was home, but she didn't make any effort to move.

"Kate?" he called out.

"In the bathroom," she responded.

"Honey, is everything alright?" he asked coming in the room. In response she just handed him the test. "Is this for real?" he asked, a huge smile already forming on his face.

"Abby confirmed it about and hour and a half ago. I'm almost 3 months along" Kate said, a smile starting to make its way on to her face as well. "We're going to be parents," she said excitedly.

* * *

"Gear up, dead marine in Rock Creek Park," Gibbs voice could be heard across the room making Kate jump. Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes and she quickly headed for the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Once there she took a deep breath trying to steady herself as she was assaulted with memories.

"Officer David, the liaison position with NCIS has been terminated. You're going home. McGee, I'm moving you across to the cyber crimes unit, you'll be working with Officer Holsworth starting tomorrow. DiNozzo, you've been reassigned. Agent Afloat, U.S.S. Ronal Regan, pack your bags you fly out tomorrow. Agent Todd, you are being moved to the cold case unit. Starting tomorrow you'll be senior agent on Agent Toner's team. Agent Gibbs, meet your new team." Kate gripped the sides of the sink as Vance's voice played in her head, and the memory of her team's stunned and broken-hearted faces flashed through her mind. The only thing that had kept her from breaking down right then and there had been her pride. The only thing that had kept her from losing it when they walked out of his office had been Tony's hand on her back. Seeing Abby's anxious face as they descended the stairs had caused her first, silent tears to slip. When she started to ask what had happened, Gibbs command of, "Not here, my house, 1 hour," gave her the strength to hold herself together until she exited the building. Getting in her car, she drove home on auto-pilot, changed out of her black dress and into sweats and one of Steve's sweatshirts before leaving a note for him and heading back out to Gibbs's. By the time she arrived, Abby and Tony were already there, and by the tears on Abby's face, it was clear she had already been informed. Once Tim and Ziva arrived, they sat around Gibbs's living room in silence for several minutes until Abby's angry outburst startled them all.

"He can't do that," she said angrily. "He has no right to split up our team...to split up our family."

"Abby, he's the director now, he can pretty much do whatever he wants," Tony said dejectedly. If Abby's outburst didn't do it, Tony's resigned voice did. Before she could stop herself, Kate found herself sobbing. She felt Abby wrap her arms around her, but that only made her cry harder.

"I'm sorry," she said through her tears. "I don't know what's going on with me, I...I just can't control my emotions," she explained.

"No need to apologize, Kate." Gibbs said gruffly, speaking for the first time. "Shannon was the same way when she was pregnant," he revealed causing them all to look at him. It was the first time any of them had heard him willingly bring up his family in a long time. "I'll figure it out," he said finally. "For now, carry out the orders you've been given," he told all of them. "Just keep your heads down and stay out of trouble, while I figure things out. Vance has to have a reason for this, it just might take me some time to figure it out." Those words were all it seemed to take to lift the mood a little bit. Gibbs had reassured them he'd figure it out, and they believed him. That had been three months ago and it was the only thing that kept Kate from quitting.

The last three months had been nothing but torture for her. Unlike McGee, she was still on the same floor as her old desk, so she was forced to sit and watch their replacements everyday. It had taken her the first two months to stop reaching for her stuff every time she heard Gibbs say "gear up." After six years of working for him, she could pick out his voice even clear across the building. 90% of the time, her new team didn't hear him and would just look at her curiously. In fact, it had taken them an entire month to figure out that was what she was reacting to. Most days now she was fine, but every once in a while, when her hormones were really raging, the dumbest things would reduce her to tears. She was at seven months now. The weekend after Tony and Ziva left she found out she was having a baby girl. As soon as the doctor told her she had turned to Steve smiling and said, "I can't wait to tell the team. Tony's going to be so mad, he owes me $50. He bet me it was going to be a b..." And then she stopped as she realized what she was saying. The smile had instantly dropped from her face. "Well, he'll just have to mail it to me, that's all," she said trying to laugh and failing miserably. Steve had just taken her into his arms and held her until she stopped crying.

Taking another deep breath, she unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out, relieved to see no one had been waiting. As she walked back to her desk, she couldn't help but let her eyes wander to her old desk and her friends' desks and wonder how they were. She would probably be getting another post card from Tony in a few days, but she hadn't heard from Ziva recently and was starting to worry.

* * *

Kate stared at her brand new baby girl, not even 5 minutes old, in wonder. She couldn't believe that she and Steve had created something so completely perfect.

"She's perfect," Steve said voicing his wife's thoughts. The new parents stared at their baby for several more minutes before either of them spoke again. "Your team is waiting outside, I doubt the nurses are going to be able to keep them at bay much longer," Steve said. "Do you want me to go get them?" he asked.

"Please?" Kate responded, still not able to take her eyes off her daughter. A minute later, her entire team converged in her little room.

"Guys," Kate began proudly. "Meet the newest member of our family, Laura Stephanie Brooks," she said, finally taking her eyes of her daughter to watch her teams reactions. She laughed as they all fought to get a look Laura.

"She's absolutely gorgeous, Kate," Ziva said.

"She's precious," Abby added. As the rest of the team gave their praise, Kate couldn't help but notice Gibbs held back and looked on with smile that clearly held many memories.

"Gibbs?" she asked quietly drawing his attention to her. "Would you like to be the first to hold her?" She watched as a genuine smile made its way to his face and he stepped up next to her before gently lifting the newborn into his arms. The team plus Steve all watched with huge smiles on their faces as Gibbs held Laura, it was clear that he was meant for the role.

"Steve and I were kind of hoping that she might be able to call you Grandpa," Kate asked shyly watching his reaction closely, praying that she hadn't overstepped any boundaries. The way Gibbs's eyes lit up and his smile widened told her everything she needed to know, giving her the courage to continue. "We were also hoping," she said turning to Abby and Tony, "that you might consider being her godparents." Abby's eyes immediately lit up and she responded with and enthusiastic 'yes!' Tony on the other hand, looked absolutely shocked.

"Me?" he finally asked. "You want me to be her godfather?" he asked incredulously.

"I may tease you and take pleasure in pointing out all your flaws Tony, but its been a long time since you've been able to fool me, or any of us, with your frat boy facade. We have no doubt that if anything were to happen to us, there isn't anything you wouldn't do for Laura." For the first time in all the years she had worked with him, she saw Tony get choked up, and it made her feel good to know that she had been able to give him that happiness. It had been a rough year on all of them, but none more so than Tony. As she sat watching her daughter get passed around and adored by her team she couldn't help but send up a silent prayer of thanks. Until two weeks ago, she didn't think that the team would be there to see her daughter's birth, something that had devastated her. Then Ziva, McGee, and herself had been reinstated to the MCRT team, 4 days before her maternity leave began. When she left, Tony still hadn't been reinstated, and it was looking like he might not be anytime soon, something that had deeply upset her. She remembered the late night phone call she had received from Abby five days ago yelling that Tony had returned. That night she had fallen asleep thinking that their family was once again complete.

* * *

The sound of a child's giggle caught all of their attention and they immediately looked up at the elevator to see Steve and Laura entering.

"GAMPA!!!!" She shouted excitedly the moment she saw Gibbs sitting at his desk. The four year old immediately let go of her father's leg and hurdled toward Gibbs who barely had time to come around in front of his desk before she jumped into his arms. The team watched with smiles on their faces as she wrapped her arms around Gibbs neck as tightly as she could and kissed his cheek.

Meanwhile Kate turned to Steve with a questioning smile. "Not that I'm complaining, but what are you guys doing here?" She asked.

"Well, since you guys are going to be working another all-nighter, I figured you guys could probably use a dinner break. That and Laura really wanted to see everyone." He answered. As Kate leaned against her husband, she watched Gibbs hold her daughter while she animatedly told him all about her day. Standing around them were Tony, Ziva, and Tim, all listening to Laura with smiles on their faces. Suddenly Laura looked around at all of them and realized someone was missing.

"Mommy," she squealed as she twisted around to see her. She threw her little arms around Gibbs once more before asking, "May I please have down Gampa?" Gibbs just laughed and kissed her on the cheek before setting her down. Once free, Laura made a beeline for her mother.

"Hi sweetheart, did you have fun at preschool today?" Kate asked her daughter as she picked her up. As Kate listened to her daughter chat happily, she watched as her husband greeted her coworkers before passing out the dinner he had brought for all of them. Suddenly she saw Tony smack Tim before stealing the biscuit Tim had been reaching for.

"Uncle Tony!!!!" Laura reprimanded before anyone else could say anything. Turning back to her mom she said, "Down please," clearly not finished correcting her uncle. The rest of the adults watched in amusement, barely able to keep from laughing as Laura marched over to Tony who looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"That wasn't very nice," she said crossing her arms. "You give that back to Uncle Tim and apologize to him," she ordered staring at him with a glare that made Gibbs proud. Not wanting to risk the wrath of his four-year old niece, Tony quickly handed the biscuit back to Tim and mumbled an apology, clearly embarrassed.

"Like you mean it Uncle Tony," Laura said still glaring causing the adults to burst into laughter. "Mommy always says you have to apologize like you mean it for it to count," Laura stated matter of factly. Tony looked from Laura's hazel eyes to Tim, who was clearly enjoying this.

"I'm sorry Tim," Tony said. "I shouldn't have hit you or taken your biscuit."

"See, that wasn't so hard was it?" Laura asked, repeating the words her mother had used on her once or twice. This had the rest of the adults except Tony laughing harder than they had in a couple of weeks. Tony just sighed.

"Tell you what," he began picking her up. "Why don't we go get Auntie Abby, Grandpa Ducky, and Uncle Jimmy for dinner?" he asked her. Laura nodded enthusiastically causing her brown curls to bounce. It was clear she had already forgotten she had just reprimanded Tony only moments ago. As they watched Tony leave with Laura in his arms, the others turned their attention to Kate.

"She gets more and more like you everyday," Ziva told her friend.

"I don't think I've seen anyone put Tony in his place that quickly since the first time you and Ziva threatened him together," Tim said, enjoying his biscuit. The adults all laughed at Tony's expense and chatted for several moments before Tony and Laura returned with the others.

"She looks more like you every day Caitlyn," Ducky said as they entered the bullpen, Laura walking between Ducky and Abby holding their hands.

"Don't remind me," Steve said shaking. "I'm already dreading her teenage years. I going to be beating back the boys."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Tim said.

"You'll have plenty of help," Tony finished, while the girls all just shook their heads. They ate in silence for several moments, before Kate put down her fork and looked around. She looked at Steve who just smiled and nodded.

Clearing her throat, Kate made sure she had the attention of the entire team before she spoke. "Steve and I have some news," she said smiling. "We're having another baby," she said simply watching as identical smiles made their way to her teams faces. "I'm two months along," Kate added. "Tim, we'd like you to be the godfather and Ziva, we'd love it if you were the godmother." Ziva agreed with tears in her eyes, while Tim just smiled. The team sat chatting excitedly for the next half an hour, before Gibbs grudgingly informed them they needed to get back to work; they were after all in the middle of a case. As Kate watched her daughter giving hugs and kisses to her co-workers, she thought back to eight years prior on that rooftop where one bullet had saved her life. She new it sounded weird, but she couldn't help but thank that terrorist for taking aim at her bosses head and thank God that she had been given a faulty vest. If that terrorist hadn't shot her, and then vest had worked, she might have still been standing in that millisecond after Ari had pulled the trigger on his rifle. Instead of flying harmlessly above her, it could have ended her life right then and there, instead of just leaving her with a barely visible scar on her side. As she kissed her husband and daughter good-bye and watched them walk to the elevator, she turned and looked at the rest of her team, all of whom had smiles on their faces as they began to get back to work. Putting her hand on her stomach, she couldn't help but smile herself. There wasn't a single thing about her life she would change even if she could. She had a loving husband, a daughter and another child on the way. She was surrounded by friends that loved her that she was lucky enough to call her co-workers as well. Her life was perfect.

* * *

Just wanted to let you know that leaving Ziva in isn't completely inaccurate. I read on the NCIS website that the MCRT team usually consists of 8-10, including the forensic expert. So, even including Kate, Ziva, Abby, Ducky, and even Jimmy, that still only puts our team at 8 people. Not to mention I have always thought Kate and Ziva would get along really well. Anyway, please review!!!!


	3. Child and Big Sister

**A/N: Sorry if you got a double posting for this chapter. Fanfiction was fighting me. I'm not even going to try to make excuses for the amount of time this took. I'm just sorry. Also, this is very different from the previous two chapters as it focuses on making Ziva's character a bit softer. Right out of the gate she is a lot closer to the Ziva that we see now in later seasons, than the Ziva we first met in season 3. Also, I chose to focus on how this changer in her life would change the events earlier on in the series and pretty much ignored the whole Somalia thing that occured later because I could not see it happening at all with the way I changed the canon storyline around.**

**Disclaimer: I wish.**

**Child and Big Sister**

"It's ok to cry Ziva. I know you will miss them very much."

"Then why are you doing this?" Six year old Ziva responded stubbornly holding her little sister close to her and staring defiantly at her mother.

"One day my dear, you will understand."

"I do not want to go to America," she cried stubbornly. "I want to stay here with Aba and Ari. I want us to be a whole family."

Ziva's mother took a deep breath and sighed. How did she explain to a six year old that as long as they stayed here in Israel they would never be a family. Her husband's work would always come first, and their daughter's would be raised as weapons and assets. She did not want that for them, she wanted them to be children, to grow up to be whatever they wanted. If they wanted to be assasins and spies when they grew up, she had no problem with that, but she wanted them to have the choice.

"I am sorry Ziva, but the choice has been taken out of our hands. Tomorrow we will spend the day with Aba and Ari, and then we will leave." The watery brown eyes that refused to let tears fall and stared defiantely back at her broke her heart, but at the same time only reaffirmed her desicion. At six years old her daughter was already learning to stomp down emotions. She had watched Eli raise Ari, and she would not allow the same for her children. She often wished she could help Ari too, and she feared that by leaving with Tali and Ziva she would make things worse for him, but he was not her son and there was nothing she could do.

"Go to bed Ziva, I will be in shortly to say goodnight." She watched as Ziva turned and walked toward her room. Eli had been pissed when she told him her plans, but his job prevented him from doing anything about it. Ten minutes later, when she walked into her daughters' room, her heart melted at the sight of both her girls sound asleep, with Ziva wrapped protectively around Tali.

-NCIS-

Ziva grinned at her little sister and held her finger to her lips as they quitely openned the door and tiptoed into the room. Tali grinned back, her big brown eyes shining with laughter, ringlets of her curly brown hair falling in her face. Both girls tiptoed to the bed and Ziva silently held up her fingers signaling her sister to jump on 3.

"WAKE UP IMA!" both girls yelled excitedly jumping on their mother's bed. Abida openned her eyes and sat up quickly, startled by the shouts and movement. After blinking a couple times she looked at her two bouncing girls and then her alarm clock before collapsing back against her pillows and throwing an arm over her eyes.

"Girls," she began wearily. "It's 5:30 am, why are you already awake?" she mumbled though she already knew the answer. In hindsight, telling her 10 and 6 year old daughters she had a suprise for them the night before as they went to bed probably hadn't been her wisest move. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty. Looking once more at the two anxious faces she sighed knowing there was no way she'd be getting any more sleep. "All right, you two go make up your beds and make sure your room is clean. I'll be out in a minute." The two girls jumped up giggling, and Abida couldn't help but smile a little as she watched Ziva gently help Tali off the bed before taking off down the hall, Tali stumbling along behind her.

Getting up, Abida glanced forlornly at her bed before sighing and beginning her morning rituals. As she went about her morning routine, Abida couldn't be let the excitement grow in her as well. She had been planning and saving for this trip for a very long time. Life had not been easy since they came to America four years ago. She had been determined to make it on her own, and had refused any help from Eli at all. As a result, they could not always afford the finer things, but Abida's knowledge of multiple languages enabled her to find a well paying job with the government immediately. It was a simple desk job, but she enjoyed it and she made enough to give her daughters the life she so desired for them, a life that was safe, and a life in which they could be children and grow up to be whatever they wanted. They may not have some of the finer luxuries that Eli's job had provided them in Israel, but she would gladly have to cut corners and save every day for the rest of her life than take her daughters back to that life. She missed Israel and the friends and family she had left behind there dearly, but the life she had created her in America for herself and her girls wasn't something she'd never give up.

Two years ago, she and Eli had come to an agreement that for one month during the summer, she and the girls would return to him in Israel so they could have some relationship with him and Ari. Eli had wanted longer, but one month was as much as Abida was willing to give. This was the only thing that himself paid for. They had gone twice now, and each time had been difficult for Abida because she could see the difference in her girls, particularly Ziva. Tali had mostly grown up in America and had never really lived with Eli the way Ziva had. Over the last few years, Abida had watched with pure joy as Ziva began to act more and more like a child should the more time passed in America. The emotions and feelings she had so closely gaurded in Israel came much more freely in America. Both trips back to Israel however had brought back many of those tendencies, something that Abida hated. While they were in Israel however, Abida did nothing to interfer. She understood that it was Ziva's way of trying to please Eli and she wouldn't come between them, no matter how much she hated it. Once they returned home, Ziva would spend the next few weeks slowly letting those traits go until they returned the next year. Abida would watch from the side, heart aching for her little girl but also realizing that it was a process that Ziva needed to go through on her to find her own place. Abida never wanted to give her daughter the impression that she had to act a certain way to please her, she never wanted her to feel like she had to choose one parent or the other. Sighing, Abida brought her thoughts back to the present, it was still a few more months before their next visit.

Abida exited her room and was met with the sound of giggles and whispers coming from her daughters' room. As she passed their room the whispering abubtly stopped and two mops of brown curly hair poked around the door. "Are you going to tell us our surprise yet, Ima?" asked Ziva with her most innocent face. When Abida didn't immediately respond, Ziva gently poked Tali in her side.

"Please, Ima?" begged the 5 year old with her best puppy dog eyes, her face a perfect picture of innocence.

Abida simply smiled however before responding "After breakfast." She bit her lip to keep from laughing at the identical pouts she recieved, but she didn't give in. She made her way to the kitchen, and began making breakfast. A couple minutes later, her girls joined her waiting expectantly. Not able to keep it from them any longer Abida smiled widely. "We are going to be spending the next four days at Disneyworld." In that moment, Abida wished she had thought to set up her camera to record her girls reactions. Abida knew that moment, being tackled to the ground by her two little angels, would live in her memory to the day she died.

-NCIS-

"Tali?" Ziva called as she walked into the house praying that her little sister was home. Ziva did her best to push down her growing fear, but she couldn't keep the slight tremor out of her voice as she called out again, "Tali, are you home?" Fear was threatening to overwhelm the 16 year old when she heard soft crying coming from the her little sister's room. Fighting the urge to race down the hall and burst into Tali's room Ziva maintained a calm exterior as she gently opened the door to her room. She was met with the sight of her 12 year old sister curled up on her bed, clutching her favorite teddy bear with her face burried in her pillow. The small trembles running through her gave away the sobs she had been trying to hide. Silently Ziva made her way to the bed and placed a soothing hand on her sister's back as she sat down.

"You didn't wait for me to walk you home." Ziva said queitly. It wasn't an accusation. Everyday Ziva and Tali's mom would drop them off at their schools on the way to work but since she never got off in time to pick them up, Ziva would always walk from her high school to Tali's jr. high school and the two girls would walk home together. Occasionally, Ziva would get caught up with something at her school and wasn't always at Tali's right when she got out. Even so, Tali would always wait for Ziva to pick her up. When Ziva arrived at Tali's school today however, she was met by one of Tali's friends who was panicked because Tali had run from the school crying and she hadn't been able to stop her. The girl thought it might have had to do with one of Tali's other friends, but she wasn't sure. Ziva knew whatever had happened must have really upset Tali because today was Friday and on Friday's they always stopped at Tali's favorite ice cream place on the way home. Ziva continued to rub soothing circles on her little sister's back, knowing that when she was ready she would tell Ziva what happened.

After a couple of minutes, Tali began to settle down. She rolled over and peaked at Ziva from under her hair, afraid that she had upset her big sister.

"I'm sorry Z," she whispered, not quite able to make eye contact. In response Ziva motioned for her to sit up. Once she was sitting up, Ziva scooted closer to her on the bed before putting an arm around her and pulling Tali into her side. Ziva was upset with Tali, but only because she was scared of what could have happened.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Ziva asked gently, keeping Tali pressed tightly into her side.

Tali took a deep breath and snuggled further into her big sister, seeking the safety that Ziva always radiated.

"You know Sean?" Tali asked, referring to her friend that had all but two classes with her this year. When she felt Ziva nod, she continued. "Well Sean and I have final period math together with this other boy, Marcus. And Marcus always teases me and sometimes Sean joins in, which usually isn't a big deal because I tease them back. But today Marcus got really mad at me for some reason and he got really mean. He started calling me names and saying all these mean things. He called me the "b" word Z." Tali said miserably as a couple more tears fell from her eyes. "But that isn't the worst part," she whispered. "The worst part is Sean just sat there and let him. I thought he was my friend, but friends are supposed to stick up for you." At this Tali started crying once more and buried her face in Ziva's shoulder while wrapping both her arms around her. Ziva closed her eyes to calm herself down as she hugged her sister back. They sat there like that for several minutes not saying anything, while Ziva planned out ways to torture both of the boys that made her little sister cry in her head. After a little bit, Ziva realized that Tali had fallen asleep. Not wanting to wake her, Ziva gently scooted both of them down on the bed and before she realized it, had fallen asleep herself to the sound of Tali's steady breathing. When Abida arrived home from work an hour later, she found them both asleep on Tali's bed with Tali snuggled into Ziva, and Ziva wrapped around her as if she were protecting her from the world.

The next day when Ziva offered to go get them ice cream since they had missed their usual Friday treat the day before, it never even occured to Tali that it had taken Ziva way longer than it should have. She hadn't even been suspicious when Ziva insisted on going alone. That next Monday, Tali was immensly suprised when Marcus offered her a heart felt apology in front of the entire class before turning to the teacher and admitting what he had done. She was even more suprised when Sean hugged her as if her life depended on it and begged her forgiveness for not being a better friend and standing up for her. When she met Ziva after school and Ziva had asked her how her day had gone, she excitedly told her big sister what happened, completely oblivious to small smile of satisfaction or the deadly gleam in her eye.

-NCIS-

Ziva sped home as fast as she could her mother's message playing through her head. She originally wasn't supposed to return home from college for another two days, but the message on her cell phone that she had recieved when she checked her messages on break from class had literally sent her running. She hadn't even stopped to explain to the teacher. The message had been short, and from her mother's voice, Ziva could tell she had been crying. "Ziva, somethings happened. Tali... she... if you can come home you should. Call me back please." Ziva had tried immediately, but there was no answer. With shaking hands, Ziva had quickly pulled up the internet on her phone to check for any recent news in Israel. Her heart had stopped upon reading about an deadly cafe bombing. Ziva had torn out of her school's parking lot and was five miles away before realizing she hadn't even put her seatbelt on.

Now, still 30 miles from home, the twenty year old hit the steering wheel in frustration. In spite of all the training her father, and to a lesser extent Ari, had given her in regards to keeping her emotions in check, Ziva couldn't hold back flood of tears any longer. She should have been there, she should have been in Israel with Tali. This was the first year Tali had made the trip by herself. Their mother had stopped making the trips with them when Ziva was fifteen. This was the first time in the last five years she hadn't gone because she had been taking summer classes this year and was set to go to Israel that fall semester for a study abroad program. In the article they had named the cafe, it was one that she and Tali loved to go everytime they visited. Fifteen casualties, no survivors. Ziva let out another heart-wrenching sob as pulled off the freeway. Why couldn't it have happened two days later? It still was horrible, but at least Tali would have been home. Tali's normally month long trip had been cut back to three weeks so that she and Ziva could spend an entire week together before Ziva returned to school. It was meant to make up for Ziva not going to Israel with Tali, and for the two and a half months that Ziva would be gone. It would be the first time in their entire lives that they would be seperated for that long.

Ziva cried even harder when she thought of all the surprises she had planned for Tali. She had planned for them to drive to the coast together, and she had booked a hotel for them to stay in for a couple of nights. She had planned to spend the entire week doting on her little sister. Now she wouldn't be able to. As she pulled into the driveway of her childhood home, she took a deep breath and made a pathetic attempt to wipe away her tears. She had to be strong for her mom because she knew how much this would tear her up. She understood now that her mom had left Israel and their father and Ari all those years ago to get away from this, to get away from the threat of losing her children. It wasn't fair, Tali was only sixteen years old!

As Ziva entered the house, she discovered it was completely dark. She started to call out for her mother, but thought better of it in case her mother had managed to fall asleep. Walking down the hall to her mother's room to check on her, Ziva passed Tali's room and heard sniffling coming from inside. Realizing her mother must have taken solace among her youngest's things, Ziva quietly opened the door only to have her breath stolen from her as she fell to her knees. Sitting there on the bed, clutching a teddy bear and looking back at her, was Tali. As soon as Tali saw her, she jumped up and ran to her big sister, launching herself into her arms. As a result both girls wound up in a tangeled mess on the floor.

"Ziva, they're dead. They died and..." Tali cut off abruptly as Ziva pulled back and took her face firmly in her hands. "Ziva?" she questioned while Ziva stared at her intently. The look on Ziva's face was one that Tali had never seen before from her big sister. There was fear, sorrow, anguish, disbelief, and relief all mixed into one. Never had Tali seen so much or so many emotions so openly displayed on her big sister's face. Tali realized with a start that her sister's eyes were also red and puffy from crying, and tears were starting to form once more.

"Tali?" Ziva whispered as if she were afraid that Tali would disappear if she spoke any louder. "You're really ok?" She whispered again, stroking her sister's face and pushing back her dark curls. Without warning Ziva pulled Tali to her in a bone crushing hug and buried her face in Tali's hair as once more that night, the tears came.

"Ziva?" Tali asked once more, returning her sister's hug. "Are you ok? What's wrong?" Tali didn't think that Ziva had heard the news yet, but maybe she was wrong. It was a few more minutes before Ziva was able to let go of Tali, or answer.

"Ima called and left me a message. She made it sound like... She didn't give me any details. She just said your name and that I should come home. And then I looked in the news and saw our cafe had been bombed and just thought..." Suddenly Ziva could bring herself to say it outloud. "I thought that you were..."

"You thought I was there," Tali said, suddenly understanding. Not really sure what else to do, Tali hugged her sister once more, reassuring her that she was safe. It was a few more minutes before the girls moved, and even then they only moved to Tali's bed, curling up against each other once more, niether one wanting to break physical contact with the other.

"I was already on the plane home when it happened" whispered Tali as she looked down at where her and Ziva's hands were clasped. "But Amira and Sara where there," she finished with a tremble in her voice. Ziva closed her eyes and pulled Tali even closer to her. Amira was their cousin, their mother's niece, and Sara was Tali's best friend. When Tali was seven, Sara had been staying with Amira at the time of their trip and had been introduced to the girls when they visited. Sara was the same age as Amira, only a year older the Tali and the girls had hit it off immediately. The three had been nearly inseperable on every visit since and in between visits, Ziva knew they wrote to each other a couple times a month.

"Oh Tali," Ziva whispered, not knowing what else to say. She was deeply upset herself by the news, but couldn't stop the prayers of gratitude that Tali was here, safe by her side.

"I should have been there," Tali continued in a quiet voice. "If I hadn't been coming home early, I would have been there with them." There was no accusition or even guilt in her voice. It was just a fact. "Ima told me when we got home, but I knew something was wrong as soon as she met me at the airport. Aba had called her as soon as it happened because he knew that with her job, she would find out about it immediately. He let her know that I was safe and already on my way home, but that Sara and Amira were there." Once more, the girls sat in silence setteled over the girls. "I don't think I want to go back to Israel next year, or for some time," Tali said after a while. "I don't know if I ever want to go back. I'll miss Aba and especially Ari, but we hardly see them anyway. Ari wasn't even there this visit. Without Amira and Sara there, it will just be too painful."

"That is entirely your decision Tali," Ziva soothed, pressing a kiss into her hair.

When Abida pulled into her driveway nearly an hour later she was relieved to see Ziva's car there. When Eli had called her, she had known immediately that something was wrong. While there relationship was amicable when they did speak, the only time they ever really spoke was when something was wrong or urgent with the girls. As soon as she hung up she went to her supervisor and explained to him the situation and asked for time off to be with her daughter. Over the years she had moved up from basic translations to some very low level intelligence work, but never anything higher. While she had come to love her job, her girls were still her first priority and she never wanted her job to interfer with her ability to take care of her girls. Still, she had been pulled in more and more in recent years to assist with intelligence and communications. She knew that unless she went to her superiors before news of the attacks reached them, she wouldn't be able to get out all day.

Even still, she had recieved a phone call two hours after getting Tali home, begging her to come back in to the office for a short period of time. At first she had flat out refused, but Tali, who had heard her end of the conversation insisted that she was fine and that she should go in and help. Abida's maternal instincts had screamed at her to stay home, but the look on Tali's face screamed that she wanted answers and so she went. A short time turned into seven hours Abida was physically and emotionally drained. She had finally gotten a chance to speak to her sister just before leaving work and she had been reduced to tears by her sister's greif. She hadn't known what to say. Her niece was dead and her daughter was alive by sheer luck. If this had been a normal visit, Tali would have been in that cafe as well, and then they would have both been grieving mothers. Instead she was at a loss for words and had no idea how to comfort her older sister. After hanging up everything that happened caught up with her; just how close she had come to losing her baby girl, the loss of her cherished niece, her sister's pain, the loss of her youngest daughter's innocence, and she couldn't stop the tears from coming. Her boss had appeared at this moment and with a voice full of compassion instructed her to go home and take the next day off.

At first the quietness of the house worried her, but when she entered Tali's room a sense of calm washed over her. Her girls were curled up together, a teddy bear smashed between them while Ziva was curled protectively around Tali in their sleep. Abida couldn't even begin to count the number of times she had found her girls like this over the years. The sight warmed her heart and calmed just as much now that they were sixteen and twenty as it did when they one and five.

-NCIS-

Ziva smiled at Ari, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. He had changed. She knew the moment she raced into his arms and he held her. It had been just over three years since the 25 year old had last seen him. She has just graduated from college, joined the CIA and was going to the FARM for training and he was just about to start a deep cover assignment to infiltrate Hamas. For three years she had tried to keep tabs on him through her father, and through her new resources at the CIA. She worked her butt off and did everything she could to get herself put in on the taskforce that was working with Mossad and providing back up.

It wasn't too hard; she had graduated from the FARM at the top of her class, and her knowledge of the Middle East and its languages, her Israeli hearitage, her natural talent for the job, and excellent work ethic had meant that nearly everyone who was in charge of anything in the agency had wanted her for their own team, so she had had her pick. While she never lied, Ziva also never volunteered the fact that she was Eli David's daughter and Ari's half sister. When she had been placed on the taskforce, she had immediately made sure that the supervisor in charge of the operation knew because she hadn't wanted it to come back to bite her in the future, but she did not volunteer that information to anyone else. Over the next couple years, Ziva went on a few different missions and waited to hear anything as to what might have happened to her brother but heard very little. The CIA was merely providing back up, and this task force was not exclusively assigned to track this mission. They ran several operations throughout the Middle East, and even some in Africa, many of which Ziva participated in.

It wasn't until three years after she had last hugged him goodbye that Mossad reached out to the CIA, informing them Ari would be stateside. The moment the task force was alerted of this development, Ziva was sent to Europe to meet with Ari and get information prior to his arrival in the US. Ziva had been on the top of her game, taking every precaution necessary to make sure she wasn't followed or compromised in anyway. She wanted to see her big brother so badly, but she didn't want that desire to get him killed due to carelessness. So she took three days and a route that involved her flying to England first, staying there for a day, and then flying to Germany before taking a train to Paris. Once she arrived in Paris she waited to recieve the signal that would let her know that Ari had made it to their safe house unfollowed himself. Once she recieved that signal she took a cab to a small village on the outskirts of Paris where, after making absolutely certain she wasn't followed one last time, she walked two miles to a cottage only she and Ari knew of.

The moment she walked in the door and saw him, she flew into his arms, desperate for his special hugs that only he gave, that she hadn't recieve in three years. Only, she didn't get one this time. Instead of him picking her up and spinning her around like he did everytime they had seen each other since her first visit back to Israel he had simply wrapped his arms around her and squeezed for a few moments before letting go. They spent the rest of the day talking and catching up. He asked after her mother, and he asked after Tali. The proud, wistfull smile that appeared on Ari's face when Ziva told him that she was getting ready to start medical school next fall to become a pediatrician warmed Ziva's heart and eased her worries a little. It was the first genuine look that crossed his face since she arrived. When the conversation moved to her career, however, that uneasiness returned.

There wasn't a whole lot Ziva could tell him, aside from the fact that she really enjoyed what she did and that she would be his point of contact for all his stateside missions, and that seemed to frustrate him. He hid it extremely well, as only one who had been trained since childhood to do could, but she could see right through everything. It didn't matter that they hadn't spent every single day of their childhood together, you didn't idolize your big brother, and spent every second that you did spend together trying to be just like him, without learning to be able to tell when he was acting. Still, Ziva tried to brush it off. It had been 3 years since she had last seen him, and people change. Add that to the fact that he had spent those three years in deep undercover with no open contact from his family and friends and surrounded by people that would kill him as painfully as possible if they even suspected his true identity. Plus, Ziva figured she had changed as well. It was impossible not to change with the jobs they had. Still, as the hours went by, Ziva found her smiles becoming more forced, and less genuine. She could tell that Ari was acting, that he was doing his best to try to act like the brother she had left three years ago, and it scared her just a little. What scared her even more was the fact that it was clear Ari didn't realize how much she was acting, and how forced her own smiles were. On the journey back home she couldn't help a small part of her from wondering if the Ari she had just left was the real Ari, and the Ari she had grown up with was the actor.

Over the following months, they kept their contact to a minimum, using other agents and covert drops to communicate, and to her Ari seemed to grow more distant. Then came the first mission involving NCIS and Ari shot the M.E.'s assistant. That had bothered Ziva so much that she insisted on meeting him herself, face to face for the first time since they'd last seen each other outside of Paris. She knew better than to question him as to why he did it. Ziva left that meeting feeling worse than she had after their last one. Still, Ziva was hesitant to say anything to her superiors. She wasn't ready to resign herself to the fact that Ari was a lost cause, she still thought maybe it was just the stress of his assignment. Besides, she had a new task to complete now. It was clear that NCIS wouldn't be going away any time soon, so she began researching all of the members of the MCRT team. She began carefully compiling profiles and histories on each team member to give to Ari. She was meticulous in her research, hoping that just maybe it would trigger something in Ari, make him remember that these were all people with friends and family that loved and cared about them.

The moment Ari zeroed in on Special Agent Caitlyn Todd and Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs though, Ziva knew it was a mistake. For weeks she worried over what Ari was planning next and once she did piece things together, it was too late. By the time Ziva had pieced things together and located Agent Todd, she was jumping into the trap. In that moment Ziva had a desicion to make. Jumping in her car, she raced to NCIS Headquarters and asked to speak with Special Agent Gibbs. Ziva led the NCIS team to the secluded house and they arrived just in time to see Ari shoot the blonde Hamas member. The moment Ari saw them, he took off. Ziva took off after him and heard Special Agent Gibbs order Special Agent DiNozzo to go to Special Agent Todd. She was vaguely aware of his presence following her, but she was too focused on trying to get to Ari to really pay attention. She needed answers, or even just a sign that even a small part of the brother she once knew was there.

"Ari!" She yelled as she saw him jump on a motorcycle. He paused for a moment and hope stirred deep within her until he looked back at her. In that moment she knew without a shadow of doubt the big brother that used to twirl her around, and picked her with gentle hands when she fell as child was long gone. When he looked back at her, there was no love, only a cold and calculating smirk.

"So, you would betray your own brother, little sister?" Ari asked in Hebrew before taking off. She stood there motionless watching him as a single tear rolled down her cheek. At that moment, Special Agent Gibbs caught up to her.

"He had a motorcycle waiting," she said calmly. "I couldn't catch him."

"Just who exactly..." Special Agent Gibbs's question was cut off by his phone ringing. He was already running back in the direction they had just came from before he hung up, and Ziva followed. Once they arrived, Special Agent Todd filled them in on what Ari had planned and the next few hours were spent in a sort of organized chaos. Between the four of them, they were able to divert the Marine helicopters and organize a take down of the remaining Hamas members with no casualities, something that might not have happened had they been even just minutes later. At the end of the day, Ziva was able to slip away from the team quietly and was already 3/4 of the way back to Langly before they even noticed her absence.

She could no longer justify Ari's recklessness, and she could no longer keep her doubts about his loyalties to herself. Inspite of the fact that it completely shattered her heart, she shared her fears with her supervisor and was shocked with the response. Instead of considering her doubts, and realizing the magnitude of the pain it was causing her to turn in her own brother, her supervisor told her that she was too close and needed to take some time off. Shocked Ziva, tried to justify her doubts, only to be reminded that Ari was undercover as a terrorist, and as such needed to act like one if he was to keep his cover intact and therefor she shouldn't expect him to act as he did when they were children. She was also threatened with removal from the taskforce if she did not back off.

Realizing that argument was futile, Ziva immediately requested and was granted two weeks off. Ziva immediately went home and called her father. Ziva had never been particularly close to him once her mother had moved them to America and as the years passed, their relationship became increasingly strained. Ziva never approved of the way he treated Ari, and with each year and visit that passed, Ziva understood just exactly why their mother had taken them away. Still, Ziva felt that she was out of options and hoped that her would see reason. Her talk with him went even worse than it had with her supervisor. That night after Ziva hung up, she did something that she hadn't done in many years, she cried herself to sleep. The next morning Ziva drove to the Navy Yard, intent on speaking with Special Agent Gibbs. By the time she arrived, however, her nerve had left her and instead she found herself sitting on a bench overlooking the Potomac. It wasn't long before she found herself lost in thought, recalling happy memories and wondering what had gone wrong. She was so lost in her thoughts she was completely unaware of the presence that stood behind her, observing her.

"You disappeared rather suddenly last night," Gibbs said breaking the silence and causing her to jump. "Usually spooks are more aware of their surroundings," he commented with a small smirk. Normally Ziva would have some sort of sarcastic comeback for a comment like that, but he was right and today she was hardly in the mood. They remained silent for several moments before Gibbs finally sat down next to her. "Is there a reason you are here?" He asked.

"I came to speak to you," she said simply.

"And you were hoping to accomplish that by sitting out here?"

"I lost my nerve once I got here." After this, the remained in silence for several minutes.

"You very possibly saved the life of my agent, and several other agents yesterday by coming to me so soon. What I can't figure out is why you did it because clearly the agency trusts him. I also can't figure out what your connection to Ari Haswari is exactly, because there is more too it than whatever you are involved with in the agency. It was written all over your face yesterday when he took off on the bike." Several more moments passed in silence as Ziva thought about what she wanted to say.

"Right out of the FARM, I was placed on a task force running operations in the Middle East. One of those many operations was in a back up and support capacity for a deep cover operation that Mossad was running. I was selected to be the contact agent for Mossad's undercover operative." Ziva paused a moment to try to compose herself, but she couldn't stop a couple silent tears that managed to escape. "I was young and niave and idealistic. Ari was the first person I met in my new job that I actually trusted. He made me believe whole heartedly in what he was doing. He had a background so similar to mine and the reasons he was doing what he was doing were the same reasons I was. And he reminded me of someone close to me. We got to be very close."

"Romantically involved?" Gibbs infered.

"No!" Ziva said with a laugh, the absurdity of the question in her eyes relieving some of her tension. "No," she said in a calmer voice. "That would be just plain weird. We were just very good friends." The smile vanished from her face as quickly as it came, and for the first time in the entire conversation, Ziva turned to face Gibbs and look him in the eye. "I could lose everything I've worked for by telling you this, but I don't know who else to turn to. I tried going to my superiors at the agency, but they just told me that I was too close and forced me to take a couple weeks vacation. Ari has changed. All they see at the agency is someone who is forced to act like a terrorist to keep from blowing his cover, but they don't know Ari like I do. They don't know what he was like before this assignment began so they don't know how much he's changed.

I've been suspecting it for a while now, especially after his first encounter with your team, but I was once again niave. I tried to chalk it up to the stress of living a constant lie and in constant fear of his cover being blown, but I can't anymore. He can't be trusted Special Agent Gibbs and..." Here Ziva took a deep breath, barely able to continue but knowing she had to. Not able to continue looking him in the face she looked back down at her hands and took a deep breath. "And I think he is especially going to be gunning for you and Special Agent Todd, and its my fault." Ziva paused here to try to gauge his reaction out of the corner of her eye, but he gave nothing away. Suddenly ashamed of herself and not able to be near him as she revealed her part in it, she stood up and walked closer railing overlooking the Potomac.

"After the autopsy incident, I did extensive background searches on your entire team. I knew that he would be interacting with you in the future and I just thought, I had hoped that maybe, if he saw that you all had families and friends that loved you and cared about you, he would remember that you were all individuals and not nameless faces to be used to carry out his missions." At this point Ziva couldn't stop the tears from freely pouring down her face. "I was so wrong. I thought I could reach him, save him somehow, but as soon as he zeroed in on you and Special Agent Todd I realized how wrong I was and," at this point she turned to face Gibbs once more needing him to understand how sorry she was, and was suprised to find that he was once more standing right next to her. "And I am so sorry. I know that I can't undo what I've done, but I had to warn you, even if it costs me my job, I couldn't just stand by and let you and your team go by oblivious to the danger, especially when I'm the one that drew the targets on your backs." As Ziva finished she stood facing Gibbs, ready to take whatever he dished out knowing she deserved it for letting things get this far with Ari. As he took a step towards her, she braced herself, which is why she was caught completely off gaurd when she was pulled into a hug.

As Gibbs listened to the young girl's story, he couldn't help but feel his heart ache for her just a little. This is precisely why Gibbs hated the agency so much. They took young people like Ziva, who were so full of life and innocence and hope, and beat it out of them until all that was left was a broken, cynical agent with questionable ethics and motives, and blurred lines that seperated right from wrong. He had been shocked yesterday when Ziva David had come running up to him on the stairs to MTAC identified herself as a CIA operative and then informed him that Ari Haswari had kidnapped Kate and she could lead him to them. There had been something so honest and sincere about her, that he hadn't hesitated to follow her. As she stood before him crying and blaming herself, he could tell that she was special. The fact that the agency hadn't already beaten this part of her out impressed him. As she came to the end of her admission, he couldn't stop the thought pass through his mind that Kelly would have been about her age and the paternal instinct that rose up in him, couldn't be squashed. As he pulled her to him, and wrapped his arms around her, he could feel her stiffen momentarily before she melted into him and began sobbing onto his shoulder. He didn't know how long he held her as she cried, whispering soothing reassurances into her ear before she finally started to calm down. As she pulled away from him, he gently grasped her chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. "None of this is your fault Ziva and I thank you for your warning, and I promise you, that no one will ever know of this conversation that passed between us."

Ziva did not speak, she simply searched his eyes, looking or some sign of deception, before finally allowing a small smile to grace her face before she offered a heartfelt "Thank you."

As Gibbs turned to leave, he stopped for a moment and turned back to her. "I'm assuming that you have my address as part of that background info?"

Ziva's eyes widened in horror at the thought of what Gibbs was implying, "I swear to you Special Agent Gibbs, I did not give him that information on you or any of your team. I promise." Gibbs briefly smirked.

"That isn't went I meant Ziva. If you get anymore information though, it might be best if you meet me at my house, rather than in front of the Navy Yard. Your superiors might get suspicious if they see you here." Ziva blushed slightly at her hasty conclusion, but nodded to show she understood.

"And Ziva, that doens't just apply to any information on Ari. You ever need to talk or simply need somewhere to go for the night, my team knows my door is always unlocked."

"But I'm not part of your team," Ziva said, slightly confused.

"You saved the life of one of my team members yesterday and you came to me today with all that information without the slightest though as to what it could do to your career at the agency. As far as I'm concerned that makes you part of my team. And Ziva? It's just Gibbs" And before Ziva could even respond, Gibbs was already halfway back to the Navy Yard.

-NCIS-

Ziva spent the duration of her two week vacation with her mother and little sister. Tali was on break from school for the summer, so the girls spent nearly every single day together. It was near the end of the two weeks when the girls we enjoying sitting at a cafe together waiting for their meal when Ziva saw a familiar face. She tried to duck her head, but it was too late.

"Ziva?" Ziva panicked momentarily. Tali did not know that Ziva worked as a covert operative for the CIA, she had worked very hard to keep it that way. The woman in front of her seemed to pick up on her distress and smiled kindly.

"Please, forgive my interruption. I'm Kate," the woman said, introducing herself to Tali.

"Oh, I'm Tali," Tali responded smiling kindly. "Ziva's little sister."

"Well, I'm thrilled to finally meet, Ziva has spoken of you quite often." Kate said smiling warmly. "I really hate to interrupt your time together, but would you mind terribly if I borrowed your big sister for a minute? I need her advice on something and it's just a little embarrassing." Kate said making sure she blushed slightly.

"Of course not," Tali responded smiling. "Go ahead Ziva, I'll be fine. Besides, you know that if you get up and go, the food will be here by the time you get back." Ziva returned Tali's smile as best she could, before standing up stiffly and following the brunette out the door. Her stomach was rolling with uneasiness. She hadn't spoken to Gibbs since their meeting in front of the Navy Yard, and while she trusted his confidence, a small part of her couldn't help but worry that maybe he had told Kate since she was in danger as well. She was also extremely uncomfortable with the fact that this woman now knew that she had a little sister. Still, needing to keep up appearances for Tali, now stood out front with a forced smile on her face.

"I know you want to get back to lunch with your little sister," Kate began, "and to be honest this is a little awkward for me, so I'm sure it is for you as well, but I just wanted to thank you." Kate finished, causing Ziva to start. This hadn't been what she was expecting. "You disappeared that night so suddenly, and Gibbs wasn't really forthcoming on any details, but Tony told me that you were the reason they got to me so fast. I wanted to thank you that night, but you disappeared before I could, and then I was waiting for my lunch when I saw you. And I'm sorry if I put you in an awkward position with your sister, I realized almost as soon as I started speaking that she probably doesn't know what you do, so I tried to come up with something as vague as possible."

"Thank you," Ziva replied appreciating the other woman's awareness. "Tali thinks that I work a desk job for Homeland Security as a linguistic analyst. It was as close as I could get to telling her the truth, without actually telling her. I hate lying to her, but I would have for her to find out even more. I don't think she would understand."

Kate nodded sympathetically. "I have four brothers and a sister, and I'm the youngest, and the only one to go into a dangerous profession. My parents nearly had heart attacks when I joined the Secret Service, and my siblings understood even less." The two women smiled at each other briefly.

"Anyway, I am sorry to have interrupted, I just wanted to thank you. I'll let you get back to your lunch."

"Would you like to join us?" Ziva asked suddenly causing Kate to turn back around.

"Are you sure," Kate asked.

"Yes. We'll just tell Tali we know each other from work, that we met while you were in the Secret Service." Ziva said. It had been so long since she had had any real friends. She had aquaintances at work, but no one she considered an actual friend. As she stood talking to Kate though, she felt an instant connection with the other woman.

Over the next several months, the women connected as if they had been friends for years. Kate also introduced Ziva to Abby, and the two of them become friends as well.

In addition to her friendship with the women, Ziva slowly grew closer to Gibbs. She had found herself at his house much sooner than she expected, a month after her first return to work.

"Ari is Germany we think." Ziva said sitting in the middle of his basement staircase. "He moves around alot, but he has continued to update Mossad and the CIA as regularly as they expect him too. He passes along low level intelligence. It isn't much, but it is enough to keep both agencies convinced of his loyalty."

"And you?" Gibbs asked without looking up from working on his boat.

"I have had no further contact with him since that day," Ziva responded. Gibbs looked at her briefly with a look that clearly said that she hadn't answered his question. "But I still believe what I believed when I came to you. I understand what it means to have to become someone else, someone that is the complete opposite of all you believe in for the sake of a mission, and while I realize my longest undercover assignment has only ever lasted six months while he is going on his fourth year I know he has changed. There is a difference between becoming someone else for an assignment, and simply becoming someone else. Ari has become someone else." Gibbs simply grunted and continued working.

"Plus, he has taken too many unnecessary risks. More risks than can be justified as simply maintaining his cover."

As the months went by, Ziva's relationship with both Gibbs and the other women grew, but she still kept them seperate. It was almost as if the relationship and knowledge between her and Gibbs was a secret, and she appreciated it. One night she asked him if he thought she was wrong in not telling Kate and Abby, especially Kate since she feared she was in more danger. That was the first night that Gibbs taught her one of his rules.

"Rule number 4 Ziva," he said coming to sit next to her on what was now her customary spot on his stairs. "The best way to keep a secret? Keep it to yourself. Second best? Tell one other person - if you must. There is no third best." When Ziva looked slightly relieved but not entirely convinced, he elaborated. "You told me for a reason Ziva. You told me because I can protect my team, and I can and will protect Kate. Besides, if you tell too many people, you risk losing your job, or at the very least your place on that task force, and if you lose your access to that information that will put is in more danger because we wont have you to warn us." Ziva left his house that night feeling more relieved than she had in a long time.

The first time Ziva came to his house for his comfort rather than to give him information was seven eight months after Kate's kidnapping. She had just returned from month long mission in Morraco that had gone catastrophically wrong. The objective of the mission had been a success, but Ziva felt as if she had lost a part of herself. She had arrived back home in the afternoon and spent nearly twelve hours being debriefed. At the end of the session she had been dismissed with the instructions to take two weeks off to pull herself back together. Instead of going home though, Ziva had driven straight to Gibbs house and before she even realized it, she was standing at his front door. Suddenly she became aware of her surroundings and the fact that it was nearly one in the morning. Even though he had made it clear that she could come to him if she ever needed anything, she suddenly found herself shy and unsure.

She turned around to go back to her car when the door suddenly opened and Gibbs was standing there. One look at her appearance and Gibbs held open his arms. Without hesitating she had fallen into them sobbing for the first time since everything had happened three days prior. Gibbs had led her inside where they sat on his sofa and she continued to cry until she fell asleep. Gibbs held her until her breathing even out and then he retrieved a blanket for her. The next morning Ziva woke up to the smell of breakfast and coffee. She made her way into the kitchen and found Gibbs sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and the newspaper in front of him. Niether talked about what had happened the night before, Ziva couldn't tell him and Gibbs didn't try to push her.

-NCIS-

"What do you mean he's been stateside for two weeks? Why are we just finding out?" Ziva exclaimed, her worst fears being confirmed. She had been dreading the day that Ari returned to the states because she knew that this time, there would be bloodshed. She had come to terms with that, but it upset her that he had been here an entire two weeks and she hadn't known.

"Calm down David. It is the first opportunity he has had to check in." Ziva did her best to calm herself down. Ever since she had gone to her supervisor with her suspicions nearly a year ago, she had never brought them back up. Everytime Ari was brought up, or his mission discussed, she remained entirely nuetral for fear of being removed from the taskforce. As Ziva calmed herself down, she could tell that her supervisor had more to say, but didn't know how to say it.

"What is it?" Ziva demanded. "There is more isn't there? You're holding back." Her supervisor shifted uncomfortably.

"It would apppear that Ari has been charged with a mission to prove his loyalty. He has been instructed to eliminate NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs." Ziva fisted her hands at her side but gave away no other reaction. She recognized what this was immediately. It was a challenge for her. Ari had made sure she knew what he was going to do and it was a challenge to stop him. It was something they had seen their father do countless times. She wanted nothing more than to rush out of the building and track down Gibbs, but she knew that she needed to hear everything first. "We have informed the F.B.I and Special Agent Fornell is currently on his way to NCIS Headquarters as we speak." Finally Ziva couldn't take it and she spun around to leave.

"David! Where are you going?" Ziva paused for a moment before turning around to face her supervisor.

"I told you my suspicions nearly a year ago, and you didn't listen, you said I was too close. Now Ari is back with a kill order. Even you can not deny that he has become increasingly reckless and taken unecessary risks that cannot be simply explained by him maintaining his cover."

"Ari wouldn't kill..."

"Can you really gaurantee that with 100% certainty?" Ziva asked cutting him off. Stepping closer to gaurantee that no one else would hear her she hissed, "He is my own brother and I can not." Stepping back, she returned to her previous volume. "I am going to NCIS, and I am going to work with Gibbs and his team. If Ari does not intend to truly kill Gibbs, than my presence should have no affect and I will be an extra body to help them track down Ari's cell. If I do not help though, and an innocent man who has devoted his entire life to protecting his country and protecting his team dies because I did nothing, I will never forgive myself." Ziva did not look back or wait for a response from her supervisor. She did not care if this cost her, her career, some things were just more important.

-NCIS-

The moment Ziva heard the crack of the sniper rifle, she knew it was Ari. She was torn between wanting to run in the direction the shot had come from, and her need to stay and provide cover for McGee. When she heard Gibbs' voice come back over their coms she had been releaved, Ari's shot hadn't been true. But it had and for the first time in her life, her work caused Ziva to become violently ill. She should have warned Kate. She knew that Kate had been in danger but she had become so focused on keeping Gibbs safe that she forgot about Ari's interest in Kate. Ziva stayed long enough to help them secure the scene.

It was done in shocked silence. When Ducky finally arrived to take control of Kate's body, however, Ziva took off. She couldn't be around this team right now. She was at fault. She had been the one to paint targets on their backs and now her friend, and their team member had paid the price. She knew how close they had been, they were their own dysfunctional family and her actions had led to the death of their daughter and sister. She knew that the moment they found out the truth they would hate her. Ziva did not return to Langley however, she went to her safehouse, that only she knew of. When she set it up, she thought it was silly that no one at the agency could know where it was, now she was glad. She had all the resources there that she needed to track down Ari. She worked through the next day, only stopping once to sleep for an hour. The moment Ziva figured out where he was, she hit the road. On the way there, she dialed Gibbs number.

"Ziva, where the hell are you?" came the gruff and worried voice at the other end.

"I am sorry Gibbs." She said, her voice wavering as she fought back tears. "Please tell Abby I never wanted this to happen and that she and Kate have been the best friends I ever had."

"Ziva," Gibbs began, but she cut him off once more.

"No Gibbs, there are things that even you don't know. I have to do this and I am going to make things right. I know its far too little, and far too late, but I wont let him kill you too. Thank you for everything Gibbs and I hope that there will come a day once again where you don't have me anymore. Goodbye Gibbs." And before he could respond, she hung up her phone and threw it in the backseat of her car. She drove another half hour before she reached her destination. As she parked, she took a deep breath and tucked her gun into the wasteband of her pants.

"I wondered how long it would take you to figure out I was here," her brother's voice greeted as she walked in the door.

"It didn't take me long," Ziva answered calmly, follwing the sound of his voice to the living room down the hall. "I just had to take care of a few things first."

"Ah yes, did you tip off your friends where I was?" Ari asked.

"No," Ziva replied maintaining eye contact. "I wasn't going to risk another innocent life." Ari's eye's flashed dangerously, but he did not move.

"Did you know that father ordered an retalatory air strike on the Gaza strip while I was visiting him. He killed my mother."

"So that gives you the right to kill someone else's mother?" Ziva asked boldly. At this Ari took a threatening step toward her, but Ziva held her ground.

"So this is how its going to be?" Ari questioned. "You would betray your own brother?" He asked once more, echoing his question from a year ago.

"You took that choice away from me when you betrayed everything we used to stand for." Ziva replied, allowing a small amount of emotion to slip through for the first time. "You took that choice away when you betrayed me first." Ari turned away, slightly shaken by his inability to intimidate her.

"It's your fault she's dead you know?" He asked, striking her where he knew it would hurt the most. "I spent the last two weeks watching you. You shouldn't have become friends with her Ziva. Sure this was about hurting Gibbs, but it was more about hurting you. After your betrayal last year I knew I had to make you pay. And what better way than to hurt you and Gibbs at the same time by taking out the same person." Ari paused and smiled evily at the tears he saw rolling down his face.

"You know, I almost succeeded in taking out that other woman too. The Goth, Abby I believe." Ziva stared defiantely at him. "Oh, I see, you don't believe me. I was so close. I had her in my sites through the window of her little lab. She was crying into DiNozzo's shoulder just as Gibbs was walking by outside. If only I hadn't missed DiNozzo would have had the blood of women he cared about splattered across his face." At this Ziva took a step toward Ari, but he pulled out a knife and held it infront of himself.

"There we go," he said gleefully. "That got a reaction. You know I don't get it? Gibbs is so much like our father why are you trying so hard to protect him. He is a cold, calculating bastard who doesn't care about anyone other than himself. He uses people and then when he's done, he leaves them out in the cold."

"You're wrong," Ziva hissed, slowly reaching her hand back to her gun. She knew the time for discussion was coming to an end.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on that point, like we used to do when we were kids. I supposed it wont really matter once I kill him."

"You wont be killing anyone else," Ziva said, whipping her gun out fast as lightening. Ari took a step back, holding his hands up and dropping the knife. A look of genuine surprise and hurt crossed his face.

"You would kill you're own brother?" He asked, conveying genuine shock as he continued to move backward. Ziva's hands shook as she held her gun at his head. Still, she did not lower the gun. "You would really kill your own blood," Ari asked again. "What about all those times as children that I picked you up when you fell, or defended you from father?" Ziva's hands shook harder. "What about Tali? What will you tell her about my death? Will you tell her that you killed me, or will you be able to look her in the eye and lie to her?" At this Ziva let out a sob and dropped her gun at the same time Ari grabbed his own gun from its hiding spot.

"Big mistake little sister." He said as he took aim. Ziva closed her eyes whispering a silent apology to Gibbs as a gunshot rang out. Confused, Ziva opened her eyes when she realized she was still alive and didn't feel pain anywhere. The sight that met her was her brother's body sprawled out infront of her, a bullet hole square in the middle of his forhead. Confused, Ziva turned around only to find Gibbs emerging from the shadows behind her.

"He was your brother, Ziva?" Gibbs asked coming toward her.

Suddenly the dam that had been holding back her tears since Kate's death burst, and she curled into herself on the ground sobbing. "I'm so sorry Gibbs. I... I should have t... told you, but I've n... never told anyone else except the leader o... of my t... taskforce."

Gibbs immediately dropped down next Ziva, gathering her into her arms trying to soothe her. Ziva pulled back in confusion searching his face before asking "You don't hate me?"

"No Ziver, I could never hate you," he assured her, dropping a kiss on her temple and pulling her back into him.

"But I didn't tell you. And it's my fault Kate is dead, Ari told me so," she pushed out through a new wave of tears.

"The only person who is to blame for Kate's death is Ari and those who wouldn't listen to you. You did everything you could to tell them and they wouldn't listen. And if you are going to blame yourself than you might as well blame me too" Feeling Ziva shake she her head against his chest, he continued. "I knew the danger she was in and I promised to protect her and I didn't."

"You couldn't have known..." Ziva started, but was cut off by Gibbs.

"And niether could you."

"You really don't blame me?" Ziva asked, sounding for all the world like a lost child.

"No, and niether do Tony, Tim, Abby, or anyone else." Gibbs said squeezing her to him knowing that the rest of the team's reactions was also weighing on her mind. "They're all worried about you. Especially Abby, she's afriad that she's going to loose two friends to this."

"But they don't know everything," Ziva argued back, not quite ready to believe.

"They know everything except that he was your brother. I told them when we tracked your phone."

"That's how you found me? But that is a CIA encrypted phone. That's why I didn't bother turning it off."

"We called in some favors," Gibbs answered simply not bothering to elaborate. "Come on, let's get out of here, the calvary will be here momentarily." He said helping her get up and pulling her to his side once more. He normally wasn't one for much physical contact, but he knew Ziva needed this and to be completely honest, he needed it as well. Losing Kate had nearly killed him, but when he had recieved her phone call he had thought he was going to lose her as well, and it had terrified him. In the last year she had become just as much a daughter to him as Abby and Kate were. When she had disappeared so soon after Kate's death, he had known what she was doing and had immediately put his contacts on standby to trace her call the moment she called. He had a location by the time he hung up and was fifteen minutes behind her. He had arrived just in time to see Ziva pull her gun on Ari, and had decided to hang back in the shadows, not wanting to distract her by his presence. He had been stunned when he heard Ari ask if she would kill her own brother. The moment he saw Ziva drop her gun however, he knew he had to act and he shot Ari before he could shoot her.

As the began to walk away, with her tucked into his side, she looked over her shoulder one last time at her brother. "I don't understand what happened," Ziva whispered quietly. "He used to sing me to sleep some nights when our father was particularly nasty to me. He would comfort and stay with me until I fell asleep. I just don't understand what happened." Ziva cried as she leaned further into the safety of Gibbs's hold. Gibbs did not have an answer for her, so he simply pulled her closer to him and placed another kiss on her head.

-NCIS-

"I am so sorry Kate," Ziva cried as she placed a rose on the flag-draped coffin in front of her. "You were the best friend I've ever had and I won't ever forget you." Ziva stood a moment more trying to push back the guilt that threatened to consume her. She had been told multiple times by the others that it wasn't her fault, but there was still a small part that only time would be able to ease.

-NCIS-

Ziva jumped as a loud knocking sounded on her door. Looking at the clock, her stomach clenched a little when she realized it was just after 10 PM. The only people that had the address to her new apartment were her mother, Tali, and Abby. Fearing that it might be one of them in trouble, she raced to the door and flung it open and was shocked to see Gibbs standing there.

"Gibbs?" She said in suprise as she stepped aside to allow him to enter. "How..."

"Abby," Gibbs replied simply, knowing what she was going to ask. "We've missed you Ziver." He said, cutting to the chase. Ziva looked away.

"I've needed some time to myself, to think," She answered honestly. It had been a month since Kate's funeral, and that month had brought about a lot of changes in Ziva's life. The biggest being she left the CIA and had been living off of savings for the last month. She had also moved into a new apartment. She had also severed all ties with her father. When he had found out what happened, he had asked Ziva why she hadn't stopped everything from happening. Ziva had told him to lose her number and that she never wanted to hear from him again. It hadn't hurt nearly as much as she thought it would, but it had still stung a little.

"That's fair." Gibbs replied. "I heard you left the agency."

"I couldn't keep going there, not after all that."

"Have you given any thought to what you'll do now?" He asked.

"Not really. I'll need to figure it out soon though, I won't be able to live off of savings forever." There was a moment of silence before Gibbs spoke.

"I want you to come to NCIS, work for me, on my team."

Ziva whipped her head around in shock. When she saw he was completely serious, she immediately protested. "Gibbs, no. I can't."

"Why not?" he challenged.

"I can't replace Kate." She whispered quietly.

"You wont be, Ziva. No one will ever be able to replace Kate," Gibbs said gently. "But sooner or later, some one will take her spot on the team. And I, and the team, would much rather it was you than anyone else."

"I... I don't know." Ziva answered truthfully, blinking back tears.

"Think about Ziva," Gibbs encouraged. "You will still have to apply and go through training at FLETC like any other agent, but as long as you graduate, you will have a place on my team. I've already spoken to the Director and she has agreed, as has the rest of the team. You don't have to decide today, but think about it and let me know. We really do miss you Ziva," Gibbs said walking up to her. "And even if you decide not to, don't be a stranger. My front door is still open to you Ziva, and it always will be." He said placing a tender kiss on her head. As he let himself back out her front door, Ziva wondered not for the first time if that is what if felt like to have a real father.

-NCIS-

Ziva smiled broadly as she made her way toward her friends. She was almost there when she was tackeled and nearly knocked over by a blur of black hair. "Careful Abby," teased Tony. "You don't want to injure her before her first day on the job." Abby simply stuck her tongue out at him which ellicited a laugh from everyone standing around.

"Great job," Tony said earnestly squeezing her shoulder.

"Congrats," Tim offered before an even bigger smile suddenly appeared on his face. "Hey! This means I'm not the probie any more!" He exclaimed making everyone laugh once more.

"You did good," Gibbs said coming up to her. Caught up in happiness and not caring what anyone thought, Ziva launched herself into Gibbs arms and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much," she whispered. "For everything."

"Always, Ziver," Gibbs said returning her hug.

"Ziva!" A familiar voice called out above the crowd. Ziva turned away from Gibbs expectantly and spotted her little sister and mother fighting thier way toward them.

"Tali!" Ziva exclaimed full of joy. "Ima! You made it!" She said meeting her sister and mother in a hug. Still beaming, Ziva turned to the rest of the team. "Everyone, this is my litter sister Tali and my mother, Abida. Ima, Tali, this is Tony, Tim, Ducky, Jimmy, Gibbs, and of course, Tali, you already know Abby." As she watched her team great Tali and her mother, she couldn't help but feel a warmth surround her. Four months ago her entire world had collapsed around her and she hadn't though she'd ever be able to recover. Over the years she had come to understand more and more why her mother had taken her and her sister from Israel all those years ago, but she had never understood it as well as she had the moment she had held that shaking gun on her brother. In the month that followed she wondered how different things would have been if her mother hadn't done that. She wondered if she or Tali would have been in that cafe when it was bombed. She wondered if she would have traveled down the same path as Ari, bitter and angry at the world. She wondered, in that moment as she had held the gun on her brother, would she have pulled the trigger and then had to live with the guilt of killing her own flesh and blood for the rest of her life? In that month, as those thoughts passed through her head, she had never been more greatful to her mother for bringing her and Tali to America. Now as she stood watching her new family interact with the two most important person in the world to her, she couldn't help but send her mother a grateful look. Suddenly a familiar figure caught Ziva's attention in the corner of her eye. Turning sharply, Ziva could have sworn that for a split second, she saw Kate. Shaking her head and turning back to the team, Ziva could have sworn she heard Kate's voice whisper, "Congratulations Ziva. Take good care of them." Ziva whipped around again, but there was no one there.

"You ok Ziva?" Tim asked.

"Yes," she answered. "I just thought I saw a friend." As she turned back to the team, she caught Gibbs's eye, and she knew he had seen and heard it too.

-NCIS-

"Tali, would you relax," Ziva said poking her 26 year old sister in the side as they walked up the steps to Gibbs house. "You know he is going to be happy for you and say yes."

"Gibbs?" Ziva called out as the two women walked in the front door.

"He's probably in the basement completely covered in sawdust," Tali said giggling. Ziva turned to comment, and had to bite her lip to keep from laughing.

"Is that so little one?" Gibbs asked standing directly behind Tali making her squeak and jump a little. Turning around, Tali's entire face lit up as she looked at Gibbs.

"Well, I was right about you being covered in sawdust," she said, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Well, I'm not the only one," he replied, a mischevious grin crossing his face. Tali looked at him in confusion for a moment before her eyes widened comically and she squealed again while running across the room. Gibbs gave chase and Ziva watched with a wide grin as her boss chased her little sister around the room. The last four years on Gibbs's team had been the best years of her entire life.

Gibbs and the team had accepted not only Ziva, but her mother and little sister as well with open arms. Tali especially had captured the hearts of everyone on the team, but especially her boss. He had immediately become a father figure to her, and Tali had adored him immediately. For the first time in her life, Ziva felt like she could trust someone else to watch over her most precious charge and she could simply be big sister without having to worry about trying to make up for their missing father. Ziva let out a hearty laugh as Gibbs finally caught Tali and swept her up into a bear hug as a cloud of sawdust surrounded them. 

"Gibbs!" She protested half-heartedly. "That isn't fair, you chase and catch bad guys for a living." Tali said laughing before she returned Gibbs's hug as if her life depended on it.

Placing a kiss on Tali's forhead, he kept one arm around her as he turned to Ziva. "So what brings you two over?" He asked.

"How do you know we didn't come over just to spend time with you?" Tali asked smiling up at him with her arms still wrapped around his middle. Gibbs simply fixed her with his panteted Gibbs stare, causing her to squirm a little.

"Tali has some news for you," Ziva said smirking at her little sister's discomfort while Gibbs just stared expectantly at Tali.

"Scott asked me to marry him and I said yes!" Tali said breaking out into an even wider smile. Carefully she pulled away from Gibbs slightly and showed him the ring that now adorned her finger.

"Wow," Gibbs said, not really sure how to respond. He hadn't expected Tali to be the first of his "kids" to get married, and he certainly hadn't expected it so soon. Still, as he watched the way she lit up, he couldn't help but be happy for her.

"There's more," Tali said, her smile becoming a bit more shy and nervous. "I was wondering if, I was wondering if maybe you would walk me down the aisle?" When Gibbs simply stared at her speechless, Tali rushed to continue. "I know I'm not Kelly and I promise I'm not trying to replace her, its just that I'm closer to you than I ever was to my own father and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather..." Tali was cut of as Gibbs pulled her back into him in a fierce hug.

"I'd be honored," he whispered into her ear. When he lost his precious little girl all those years ago he had never imagined he would ever walk anyone down the aisle. He honestly hadn't expected that question from Tali, and while there was never any question that he watched out for her as fiercly as any father protecting their daughter, the idea that she thought of him in the same way humbled him greatly.

Later that night, as Ziva and Tali sat in the middle of Ziva's king sized bed in her apartment with wedding magazines spread all around, Ziva couldn't help but think how wonderful it was to be a big sister.

**A/N: So yeah, like I said in the beginning, this took on a life of its own and turned out WAY different than I had originally envisioned. Also, apparently when it comes to writing angsty Ziva with daddy issues, the words flow like water. When it comes to writing a happier Ziva with less issues, the Great Wall of China becomes my friend. I'm not sure what that says about me, but at least I finally found something. This also wound up focusing WAY more on Ziva's relationship with Gibbs and Kate than I was originally planning, but once I started writing that just felt right so I went with it. So, sorry if the title of this chapter is misleading. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and it wasn't so long that it bored you. And if you have a moment, let me know what you think :)**


	4. Father and Grandfather

**A/N: **Holy cow I finally finished a multi-chapter story! I am sorry this is so ridiculously long. Believe it or not, I actually edited out almost 1,000 words when I finished it. I didn't mean to leave out Shannon quite as much, but I got carried away with Kelly and Gibbs. Like Ziva's chapter, this varies from cannon considerably, and Gibbs character, while still Gibbs, is much softer in his scenes with Kelly. Anyway, I won't drag this out since the chapter is already so long, so without further ado, the final chapter of this story.

**Father and Grandfather**

Gibbs stared at the photo in his hands, tears forming in his eyes. She was so beautiful and perfect and so tiny. His baby girl Kelly had been born 2 weeks ago and he hadn't been there. Jethro Gibbs was a full red-blooded American who loved his country and was proud to serve, but for the first time ever, he wondered if he could keep giving what was being asked. He was a United States Marine through and through, and yet suddenly, that wasn't his entire life anymore. He continued to stare longingly at the picture in his hands. His precious little girl was only two weeks old today, and it would be another six months before he would get to meet her, hold her, and kiss her.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

His heart constricted in fear as he read his wife's letter. Two whole minutes; that was how long it took for the lifeguards to get his baby breathing on her own again. Gibbs scrubbed his hand over his face wiping away the tears he hadn't even realized had formed. He wasn't any stranger to sacrifice; he understood it and he embraced it. He lived this life so other fathers wouldn't have to. He missed ballet recitals, bedtime stories, Christmas mornings, and birthdays so that other fathers could be home for their children. It was a sacrifice he had made as a father for nearly five years, and a sacrifice he had made as a husband and a man for years before that but it was a sacrifice that he couldn't make anymore. Over the last year he had been toying with the idea of getting out when his contract was up at the end of this year, but this last letter had solidified that decision.

Shannon had taken four year old Kelly to the beach just outside of Pendleton for the day and had been playing in the water with her when a strong wave caught them off guard knocking them down and separating them. By the time Shannon had stood back up the water had pulled an unconscious Kelly back into the ocean with it, her floaters doing little more than keeping her from staying under the water. Shannon's frantic cries had drawn the attention of lifeguards who had jumped into action. The lifeguards had brought her back to shore and it took two minutes of CPR to get her breathing again. Kelly had spent the night at the base hospital to make sure she was really all right, and was now home again just as bubbly and free-spirited as if it had never happened. Gibbs didn't even try to stop the tears that were now rolling down his face. It had taken this letter 3 weeks to reach him. His whole world had nearly died 3 weeks ago while he'd been playing football in the basecamp with the boys, and he hadn't even known. He couldn't even imagine the terror his wife must have gone through, and she'd had to go through it alone. His gentle, beautiful wife had to be strong all by herself because he hadn't been there to be strong for her. He hadn't been there for her to cling to while they'd worked to resuscitate Kelly, and he hadn't been there that night for her to lean against while she'd sat next to Kelly's bedside. He still wasn't there now, to soothe the nightmares he was sure she was still having when she closed her eyes at night.

He couldn't do this any longer. As a Marine it was his duty to protect his country and protect the men and women he served with. That was a duty he had been fulfilling faithfully for the last twelve years. As a husband and father he had a duty to protect his girls and he had almost failed them without even knowing it. For twelve years he had focused his protection duties on his country, now it was time focus on his girls.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

Gibbs swore. One month until he would be joining his girls back home in Virginia. He should have known something like this would happen, and should have known it would have to do with Watson. The kid was a loose cannon. He would make an excellent Marine and deadly sniper one day, but the kid still needed a couple years to grow up. In a moment of uncharacteristic frustration, Gibbs leaned forward and banged his head on his desk a couple of times. Had any of his trainees walked in and seen him at that moment, they wouldn't have believed it was him, but Gibbs was tired, frustrated, and hadn't seen his girls in two weeks. Watson had been U.A. for the second day in a row now and he'd just gotten off the phone with his CO informing him that some yahoo named Franks from NIS wanted to talk to him. He was hoping the two things were unrelated, but he didn't believe in coincidences. If he was completely honest, he was a little worried. He'd never admit it to anyone, but Watson reminded him a bit of himself twelve years ago. The kid had a desire to prove himself that would either make or break his career. He was loyal to fault and lived to be a Marine and the truth is, Watson would not go U.A. without a good reason. He still had his head down on his desk when an amused voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Am I interrupting gunny? Or are you gunna bang your head a couple more times for good measure?" Slightly embarrassed at being caught in his private moment of frustration Gibbs shot out of his seat and tried not to glare at the man in his doorway.

"Special Agent Franks, I presume," Gibbs responded shortly. "How can I help you?"

"Well, you've got a missing Marine. Seems to me I'm the one that's helpin' you." Franks responded in that same half amused, half bored tone.

"Watson's been UA two days. He could just be nursing a bad hangover," Gibbs challenged.

"Except in your gut you know that ain't true." Franks fired back. "He's hot headed which some perceive as challenging authority except you know better. He likes to show off an' that gets him in trouble more often then not. He's quick to help his fellow Marines. He's loyal, dedicated, and hard working. Give him a few more years to mature and he's got all the earmarks of a great Marine and a strong leader. He ain't the type to throw his entire career away on a bender."

"You didn't get all that from a file." Gibbs stated, not quite ready to give in.

"Some of it yes, but no, not all of it." Franks stepped forward and removed his baseball cap, and for the first time in the conversation, allowed a little emotion to show on his face. "I know those things because that is the same exact profile of the last four Marines to go missing this last year from different bases throughout the States. I'm tired of telling folks their child, or their husband ain't comin' home 'cause I couldn't find him in time." The two men stared at each other for several seconds.

"Watson is my man. I'm responsible for him so you tell me everything I need to know and I'll follow your lead, but I'm with you every step of the way. We're bringing him home Franks." The next three days saw both eating lots of take out and sleeping fairly little. Franks normal teammate, as well as the TAD that had been assigned specifically these cases were astonished to see their boss work so cohesively with Gibbs. The end of the three days, however, saw the serial killer staring down the guns of two angry Marines who were itching to pull their triggers and a third Marine, who was exhausted and a little beat up, returned to his little sister who couldn't run into his embrace fast enough.

"So I hear you're quittin' at the end of the month, Franks said as they sat at a bar together after wrapping up the case.

"Not quitting," Gibbs responded. "Just prioritizing." Franks raised an eyebrow and grunted, but didn't respond. "I've got a wife and daughter. Six months ago I was overseas and my daughter almost drowned. It took them two minutes to get her breathing again and I didn't find out until three weeks later when my wife's letter arrived. My wife still wakes up from nightmares about that day crying." Gibbs took a breath pushing back the emotions that talking about that day brought forward. "I've already missed so much of my daughter's life, I don't want to miss anymore." The two men sat in companionable silence for the next several minutes.

"So where are you going from here?" Mike finally asked.

"Well, I've got two more weeks, then I'm headed home to Virginia to focus on just being a dad and husband for a little while. We've got savings built up and Shannon's starting a tposition at a preschool next month. I've got time to work things out."

Franks nodded before finishing off his drink. "Well, I've got an early morning flight back to D.C., but once you're ready, look me up. NIS is desperate, they just might take you."

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

"Are you excited sweetheart?" Jethro asked his little girl, watching her sit at the table in her pajamas. Today was her fifth birthday and they were starting the day by enjoying what had quickly become a typical morning for them in the two months since Jethro had left the Corp. Next month Gibbs would go to FLETC and then his new career at NCIS would begin, but for now he enjoyed being able to focus on his girls.

"Yes!" she replied enthusiastically, her brownish blonde curls bouncing as she shook her head.

"What present are you hoping for the most?" Jethro asked.

"I already got that." Kelly responded smiling at her dad.

"Oh yeah?" He asked her as knelt down next to her. "And what would that be?" he asked tugging at one of her curls.

"You daddy!" she responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "I just wanted you home for my birthday." She elaborated looking directly into her father's eyes with a big smile. Jethro just stared at his baby, not able to find his voice or any words to respond. He glanced at Shannon who now stood watching them, with tears in her eyes. Still not able to find his voice, he just wrapped Kelly in his arms, and stood up, holding her as close to him as he could. Kelly, happy to be in her daddy's arms, just snuggled in and kissed him on the cheek before whispering, "I love you daddy."

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

"I can't believe you're really leaving Boss." Gibbs said with a frown on his face.

"I ain't your boss anymore Probie." Franks grunted.

"You're quitting." Gibbs responded, completely disregarding Mike's comment. Mike fixed Gibbs with a glare, not happy with his protégé's comment.

"Teams yours now Probie." Mike said while Gibbs responded with a glare of his own.

"What about the Kelly? Her birthday is in 3 months." Gibbs challenged his boss. "Whether you like to admit it or not, you have a family here now. You've been 'Uncle Mike' to Kelly since she was five. You know she's going to be heartbroken when I tell her." Gibbs said, still glaring at his mentor. "And what's worse is you're making me the bad guy because you're too much of a coward to tell her yourself," Gibbs said, not holding back his anger.

"Watch it Probie," Mike said with a warning growl.

"Tell me it's not true," Gibbs challenged once more. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that her reaction has nothing to do with why you are leaving work and going straight to the airport," Gibbs added.

Mike took a deep breath, knowing Gibbs was right. "I just need a little time," Mike said, looking Gibbs in the eye for the first time since their conversation started. "I warned them Jethro, and nobody did anything. Nineteen airmen lost their lives needlessly. Hundreds more were injured. I just need time to get my head together. Just give me a couple months to get my head back on straight and I'll come back to DC. I promise I'll be home before Kelly turns twelve." Mike paused before smiling wryly. "Besides, once I get back I'll be a retired old man so I can spend more time with her."

"You take care of yourself," Gibbs said finally accepting that his boss wouldn't change his mind. "You know Shannon will kick you ten ways to Sunday if you come back in worse shape than you left. And you better not go drown your sorrows in alcohol and cigarettes," Gibbs threatened. "If you come back smoking like a chimney you wont be going anywhere near Kelly until you quit," Gibbs warned knowing that threatening to keep his little girl from his boss was the only threat that would make sure Mike took halfway decent care of himself.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

Gibbs heard sniffling coming from the top of the stairs and paused in his sanding to look up. Sitting at the top of the stairs looking like she was desperately trying to hold back tears was his little girl. "Kelly?" He asked walking around his current project to stand at the bottom of the stairs and look up at her. "Baby what's wrong? I thought you and Maddie were going to the movies and then out for a little while"

Kelly glanced down at him with watery blue eyes. "We were." Kelly said sniffling again. "Maddie and I walked into the theater and John was there," Kelly paused as a couple of tears finally escaped. Gibbs squeezed the handle of the tool he was holding very tightly, but otherwise showed no outward signs of the anger flowing through his veins. He had a feeling he knew where this was going. "He and Lydia were in the back of the theater making out." Kelly finished, still desperately trying to keep the tears at bay.

Gibbs sighed internally wishing Shannon were home. She had gone to help her parents move into a smaller house and wouldn't be back for two more days. Gibbs was on call this weekend, and Kelly had soccer practice, so they had stayed home. Gibbs wasn't quite sure what to do. This was Kelly's first broken heart and he had no idea what to say. He might have been promising all kinds of threats in his head (did the kid have a death wish?), but one look at Kelly and he knew that wasn't what she wanted. Not sure what else to do, he opened his arms wide and before he could even blink he had his arms full with a sobbing 15 year old. He maneuvered both of them around so he was sitting on the bottom step holding her in his lap, just like when she was four years old with a skinned knee. It was several minutes before her tears began to slow. Pressing a kiss into her forehead with his arms still wrapped tightly around her, he quietly asked, "What can I do?" He felt her shake her head against his chest before she responded.

"Just keep holding me Daddy." She responded.

"That's something I'll always be here to do," Gibbs responded stroking her hair and pressing another kiss into the top of her head.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

"I don't know Mike, the kid is good, he's one of the best I've ever worked with, but he's going to put me in my grave." Gibbs complained to his mentor, the two of them enjoying a quiet Saturday afternoon in Gibbs basement. Shannon was upstairs cooking while Kelly was out with Maddie.

Franks snorted. "I recall saying the same thing about you years ago," he said taking a sip of bourbon. Gibbs simply glared at him. "Look, he's like all newbies; anxious, eager to prove himself. You wouldn't have recommended him if you didn't see something in him, and you wouldn't have kept him around this long if you didn't still see it in him, and you certainly wouldn't be this easily riled up by him if you didn't care about him," Franks knew he hit a nerve with the last part when Gibbs paused in his sanding.

"He's unique," Gibbs said quietly. "He's been on the job for over six years and still believes he can save everyone. He found out his partner was dirty and still believes in the system. Most cops and law enforcement either loose that outlook or just become complacent after the first couple years. Its only the really good ones that still give it their all." Gibbs paused for a moment, like he was trying to find the right words. "But he's reckless. He takes risks, risks that are going to get him killed."

Franks studied Gibbs for a moment, before taking another sip. "You know, I knew this agent once. He was good, impressed the hell out of me, and you know that's not easy. He was a lot like your DiNozzo, took risks that I told him were going to get him killed. Didn't faze him though. If he thought he could take down the dirt bag or save an innocent, he'd do whatever it took. Then one day he got himself shot, ended up in the hospital and it scared the hell out of me."

"Mike…"

"Look Probie, that day you got shot, the first thought that ran through my mind wasn't that an agent went down, it was that my friend went down. Its clear as day you like this kid; he's gotten under your skin and you don't have to admit it to me, or anyone else, but you do have to admit it to yourself. Take it from experience, the sooner you admit it and accept it, the easier it will be for you. There ain't nothin' wrong with caring for your agents, it makes you work better and harder for each other, makes you a better leader."

Gibbs sighed, knowing his former boss was right, but not wanting to admit it out loud. They sat in peace for a little while longer before Shannon called down that dinner was ready. Gibbs bounded up the steps only to stop short as he entered the kitchen. Standing there looking out of place and more than a little uncomfortable holding a large casserole dish while Shannon added something to it was Gibbs newest agent.

"Umm, hi boss?" he offered with a huge smile.

"Jethro!" Shannon scolded turning to her husband, "you should have told me Tony was coming over! Fortunately I prepared enough for everyone and Tony was kind enough to offer his help. He wanted to leave but I wouldn't hear of it." Gibbs looked from his wife to DiNozzo trying to look properly chastised while trying not to laugh at the shades of red Tony was quickly turning.

"Sorry to intrude," Tony mumbled. "I just wanted to drop off the Carlton files…"

"You're not intruding, Tony!" Shannon said. "Tony here is extremely handy in the kitchen. He chopped the onions for me so my eyes wouldn't burn, and he helped me get the jars open that I couldn't open," she added turning to her husband.

"Just how long have you been here?" Gibbs asked, clearly enjoying his agent's discomfort.

"Umm…" Tony began, looking at his watch and gaping at the time. He was spared from answering as the front door flew open.

"I got in!" Kelly shrieked as she burst into the house interrupting the conversation and startling everyone. They turned to face Kelly who was standing in the doorway with a letter in one hand and a shredded envelope in the other. "Cornell accepted me. I got in!" She squealed breathlessly, her auburn hair wildly framing her face.

"Congratulations honey, that's fantastic!" Shannon said, moving to embrace her daughter with a huge smile on her face.

"Well done, Bitsy!" Mike said, as he too moved in to give Kelly a hug.

"Daddy?" Kelly questioned after some of the excitement had died down and Gibbs still hadn't said anything.

"Cornell… That's, that's in New York, isn't it?" Gibbs asked gruffly. Kelly nodded hesitantly. Another moment passed before Gibbs opened his arms and smiled. As Kelly rushed to them he kissed her hair whispering how proud he was.

Meanwhile, Tony discreetly set the casserole down and began to leave, not wanting to intrude on the family moment. "Where you going DiNozzo?" Gibbs called out. "We've got to celebrate!"

Kelly turned around, but remained in her father's arms. "DiNozzo?" She asked looking to her father. "As in Tony DiNozzo?" When she received confirmation, her grin got even bigger. "I'm so glad I finally get to meet you," she said warmly, extending her hand to shake his. "Daddy's told me so much about you." It remained a debate for many years afterward between Mike and Shannon as to who got redder at that comment; Tony or Jethro.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

Kelly took another drink of her coffee and sighed as she finished glancing through college pamphlets She'd graduated Cornell last year, and was currently working at an animal hospital. Now, Kelly wanted to continue her education in grad school, but choosing a program wasn't easy. Glancing at her watch, she realized that it was now almost 9:00, much later than she thought. It was a short walk to the apartment she shared with Maddie, but she still knew that her father would ream her out if he knew she was walking home alone this late. Halfway home, Kelly became aware of presence behind her. Picking up her pace a little, Kelly noticed with some trepidation that there didn't seem to be anyone out and about.

"Hey pretty lady," came a gruff voice behind her. Ignoring it, she continued walking. Reaching into her purse she grasped tightly to the tazer her father had given her when she left for college. As she passed an alley 3 blocks from her apartment the guy made his move and Kelly made hers. As he attempted to grab her and pull her into the alley Kelly screamed while simultaneously throwing her head back and slamming it into his nose. The moment he released her arm she swung around pulling her tazer out of her purse and shoving it into her attacker's neck. Taking a couple of steps back and breathing heavily Kelly released her grip on the tazer, it's charged now used up. Suddenly aware of another presence behind her, Kelly reached for the only other weapon available to her. Before they had a chance to attack, she turned and let loose the pepper spray in his face while simultaneously swinging her bag at his head.

"Kelly, wait!" came a familiar voice from behind the now groaning man.

"Tim?" Kelly asked in shock as he ran by her and immediately secured her attacker who was still dazed. Turning, she realized that the man she thought had been another attacker was actually Tony. "Tony?" she whispered in horror.

"He'll be fine," came Tim's voice. Turning to face him she saw that he now had her attacker handcuffed. She started to respond but was cut off by the arrival of a Metro Patrol car.

"I'm Agent McGee," Tim informed the approaching officers while showing his badge. "I'm the one that called it in. This is your suspect," he indicated as he roughly handed the man over to the Metro cops. "He assaulted this young woman. I suspect he'll think twice before he tries again," Tim added winking at Kelly and placing a reassuring arm around her. "She head butted him and tazered him when he attacked. My partner and I were walking back to our car when we heard her scream. We rushed to her aid, however she had the situation pretty much under control." At this moment Tony let out another groan causing the officers to turn to him questioningly. Fighting to keep a straight face, Tim continued. "My partner startled her a bit," he added, failing to keep the humor out of his voice as he glanced over at his partner. He knew that if Tony could have glared at him he would have, and he was 90% sure he heard a muttered "screw you" as he turned away. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his business card. "I know that you will need to take a statement from Miss Gibbs and us, however I would like to request that you wait until tomorrow. You can reach me at either of those numbers and I assure you we will all come to your station tomorrow, but right now I'd like to get her home." The officers nodded in agreement and Tim and Kelly watched as they escorted the suspect back to their patrol car and none to gently put him in the back seat. As the car drove away, Kelly let out a deep breath and momentarily sagged into McGee.

"Thank you," she whispered as she took a moment to recompose herself. As she did however, she immediately turned to Tony and began fretting over him. "Tony, I'm so sorry. Are you ok? I had no idea it was you. I thought he had a partner or something. I…"

"It's ok," he cut in, interrupting her apologies. "I'll be fine," he started, but broke off coughing once more.

"Tony, you're lungs!" Kelly gasped, horrified.

"I'll be fine," Tony wheezed unconvincingly in between breaths.

In spite of his humor at the situation, Tim still wanted to make sure his partner would be all right. "Come on Tony," Tim said gently grabbing his arm and guiding him back to their car. Kelly followed quietly along next to Tony. Leading Tony to the passenger side, he put him in and then opened the back door for Kelly. Once he was sitting in the drivers seat, he turned to face Kelly. "Call your dad, let him know we're going to the hospital, and ask him to meet us there please."

"No hospital!" Tony tried to argue.

"I'm driving, no arguments. I want to make sure the next time we are in the field you shoot the suspect and not me because you can't see clearly," Tim said laughing at his partner's indignant reaction. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he was relieved to see a small smile grace Kelly's face as she held the phone to her ear, waiting for her father to pick up.

"Hi Daddy?" Kelly asked with a bit of hesitation. "Something happened. I'm fine, I promise," she added quickly knowing her dad would be worried, "but I'm with Tim and Tony and we are on our way to St. David's Hospital." She paused for a moment, as Gibbs asked what happened. "I promise no one is dying, but can I explain it to you when you get there? It would be a lot easier." Kelly once more paused before ending the conversation, "ok Daddy, we'll see you in a bit. I love you too." She hung up the phone just as they were pulling into the parking lot.

The three made their way into the emergency room, with Tony in the middle. Kelly and Tony sat down while Tim quickly explained the situation to the nurse, adding that Tony had contracted the pneumonic plague the year prior and asking if they could please make sure to check his lungs as well. When the nurse paused in her writing to look at him skeptically, he simply told her that they were federal agents and it was a long story. She didn't look completely convinced, but at least she took down the rest of Tony's information. A couple of minutes later Tony's name was called and Kelly and Tim were left to sit in the waiting room. It didn't take long before the stress of the day caught up to Kelly and she was asleep on Tim's shoulder within minutes.

Fifteen minutes later, the emergency room doors whooshed open and Gibbs rushed in, followed closely by Shannon. Tim gently woke Kelly and the moment she laid eyes on her father, she flew into his arms while reaching for her mom at the same time. Wanting to give the family a moment of privacy, Tim stood up and approached them at a much slower pace. Once Kelly calmed down a bit and pulled away, Gibbs asked what happened.

"I was walking home from the coffee shop near my apartment when I noticed someone following me." McGee instantly noticed Gibbs's jaw clench and saw his eyes dart from Kelly to Tim and take in that Tony wasn't in sight. "When we passed by an alley he tried to pull me in but I got him in the neck with the tazer you gave me when I started college. I think I might have broken his nose too," she added a bit shyly.

Taking over for her, Tim continued the story. "Tony and I were walking back to our car after dinner. We heard her scream and called Metro as we ran over. We didn't realize it was Kelly until we got there, but she already had things under control. I cuffed the guy and we turned him over to Metro. I gave them my card and asked them to wait until tomorrow to take a statement and to contact me first." At this point both Kelly and Tim fell silent.

Looking at both of them, Gibbs realized he was going to have to prod further to get anything else out of them. "If that is all that happened, why are we at a hospital? And where is DiNozzo?" Gibbs finally questioned him. Kelly and Tim looked at each other for a moment, and Gibbs could have sworn he saw Tim's lip twitch into a smirk for a split second.

"Well you know how that tazer only has one jolt and has to charge for a little bit after it is used?" Kelly asked biting her lip. Gibbs nodded and she continued. "I didn't really hear Tony and Tim coming until Tony was right behind me. I thought it was another attacker and I sort of… Well, I sort of maced Tony and hit him with my bag." Kelly finished, her cheeks tinting red. This time, Tim couldn't keep the snort of laughter from escaping. When Gibbs raised an eyebrow at him, Tim stopped laughing, but he couldn't keep the smile off of his face.

"He's fine Boss. We just wanted make sure. He was well enough to argue with me about coming here." Upon hearing that, Gibbs couldn't resist the proud smile that crossed his face.

"That's my little girl," he said proudly, pulling Kelly to his side once more.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

Gibbs stood in the doorway looking as stoic as ever. The last couple of years it felt like the blows had just kept coming. First Jenny died, and then on the heels of that, Leon had split up the team. Things never really had a chance to get back to normal before the whole fiasco with Ziva, Tony, and Rivken had happened and then Gibbs was returning from Israel without a child. It had been a year now since they'd brought her home and his family was whole once more, but now he was about to face the most difficult day of his life. As he watched Kelly chatting excitedly with Maddie, Ziva, and Abby, Gibbs caught his wife's eyes and could see the unshed tears in them that he knew were reflected in his own eyes as well. Behind him, someone cleared his throat.

"Everyone's ready to start," Mike said in an unusually soft voice.

"Do you remember the first time you two met?" Gibbs asked without taking his eyes off Kelly. "She hid behind my legs for all of a minute before marching up to you and deciding you would be Uncle Mike. I've never seen you melt so fast, not even in all the years since."

"She's something special." Mike said gruffly, remembering that day. "She always has been and always will be."

Finally Gibbs turned to face his mentor. "My baby is getting married," he said. "I've stared down the barrels of hundreds of guns, I've helped disarm bombs, I've come face to face with terrorists and murders and I have never been as terrified as I am today." Gibbs confessed. "I look at her and still see her in pigtails and bows."

"From the first breath every little girl takes, this is the moment her father dreads. At least you have comfort in knowing Jake is a good man and will love her and protect her. Hell, if he managed to survive everything you and I and the rest of your team put him through, and still asked her to marry him, you know that is true love." Both men smirked slightly and Franks clapped Gibbs on the shoulder. "Now we really do need to get started before they think you took Kelly and locked her in a tower." Franks said doing his best to keep the mood light.

Take a deep breath, Gibbs turned and watched as Shannon and Maddie help carefully work Kelly's veil into place. The sight took his breath away. "Ladies," he said gruffly, garnering their attention. "It's time," he said quietly, not able to take his eyes off his daughter. He watched as Shannon hugged Kelly, kissed her cheek, and then came toward him. Neither were able to say anything to each other, too over come with emotion. Gibbs simply grasped his wife's hand in comfort and kissed her temple.

"Come on Shannon, I'll escort you out," Mike said, offering his arm.

"Thank you, Mike," she whispered, catching a few rebellious tears with her free hand. Glancing back one last time at her husband, Shannon and Mike made their way toward the ceremony.

"Can I have a moment?" Gibbs asked quietly, nodding gratefully as his daughter's bridesmaids moved to leave the room. As Abby and Ziva passed him, they each squeezed his hand briefly in comfort. Ziva also offered him a quick kiss on the cheek and whispered something in Hebrew. He didn't know what she said, but it still offered him some comfort, and he caught her eye gratefully as she disappeared around the corner.

Now it was just Kelly and suddenly his words were caught in his throat. Clearing his throat again, he walked toward her. "I always knew this day would come," he told her, reaching out to brush her cheek. "You're beautiful," he said softly, using his thumb to brush away a stray tear. "You are just as beautiful as your mother on our wedding day," he said with a soft smile.

"Thank you daddy," she whispered, moving in for a hug. As Gibbs held his daughter, he wanted nothing more than to hold on forever, and never let her go. It was with superhuman effort that he placed a kiss on her forehead and released her.

"Are you ready?" he asked. When Kelly nodded with a bright smile, he gently lowered the front part of her veil and offered his arm.

NCIS * NCIS * NCIS

"Hi princess," Gibbs whispered softly, as he watched his daughter slowly wake up with the first rays of morning light.

"Hi Daddy," she whispered back, blinking sleepily at him. She smiled softly at the feeling of her hand in her fathers.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, still keeping his voice soft. He rubbed his thumb gently over her hand, mindful not to disturb the IV that was protruding from the top of her hand.

"Still drained," she answered. "But I am getting my strength back," she reassured him. "Where is everyone?" she asked. Smirking, Gibbs nodded to one corner of the room where Tim, Ziva, and Tony had all nodded off, with Ziva and Tim both using Tony as a pillow. Kelly bit the inside of her cheek to keep from bursting out with laughter. "Oh please tell you got a picture Daddy."

"Do you not know me at all?" Gibbs responded in a hurt voice. "I will have you know, that I have several pictures and the camera is now in your mother's safe possession." This time Kelly couldn't stop the giggle that escaped. Pleased with himself, Gibbs continued answering his daughter's first question. "They refused to leave until they knew you were feeling better." Kelly felt her heart burst with warmth, feeling loved and protected by her friends. "Breena called about two hours ago. She's been having really bad morning sickness so Jimmy went home to take care of Thomas so she could sleep peacefully for a few hours. I forced Ducky go home with Jimmy so he could get some sleep too. Uncle Mike went to go pick up Amira so Leyla could go to work. And Jake, Mom, and Abby are at the nursery. I promised I'd call them as soon as you woke up, but first, want to have some fun?" Kelly looked at him questionably. Turning to the room's 3 sleeping occupants he took a deep breath before barking loudly, "Grab your gear!"

Kelly couldn't help but laugh loudly as she watched her three friends bolt awake and smack into each other several times while searching for non-existent backpacks and weapons. It took a few moments for them to become completely alert. "Boss…" Tony groaned clearly not as amused as he rubbed his side where Ziva had accidently elbowed him in their frenzy. To his left Tim was rubbing his eye where Tony's shoulder had impacted sharply.

"Not your boss anymore," Gibbs responded with a grin.

"You know," Tony grumbled, "you have gotten a whole lot crueler with your sense of humor since you retired."

Kelly snorted in silent agreement, drawing the attention of the others. All at once they rushed to her bedside, eager to see how she was doing. Gibbs used the moment to call his wife. As he hung up and waited for those three to return, he watched happily as his kids chatted with smiles on their faces. He had worried that he wouldn't see them as much once he retired, but he needn't have worried. He found the team at his house, along with Kelly and Jake almost every weekend. He was brought out of his musings by the arrival of Abby.

"Kelly!" she squealed, barreling into the room. Slowing down as she reached her friend, Abby was very gentle to deliver her hug. Abby started to say more, but was interrupted by the arrival of Shannon and Jake, each carrying a small bundle. The whole group moved back to give them room, and Kelly's entire face lit up. Gentley, Shannon handed her bundle to Kelly. Kelly looked down at her little girl and then to her little boy in her husband's arms. Suddenly Kelly looked back at Shannon.

"I'm a little scared, Mommy" she whispered. "What if I'm not as good of a mom as you were?"

"Oh baby," Shannon said, pushing her daughter's hair back. "When you were born, I was so scared too. Your dad was deployed and I didn't think I could do it all on my own. The moment I brought you home though, I knew everything would be ok. It was still a little scary, and it definitely wasn't easy, but I just loved you so much. I made mistakes and I learned as I went, and then your dad came home and he made mistakes and he learned as he went, and we both learned things together. Just like you and Jake will," Shannon said smiling at her son-in-law. "You are going to be an amazing mother, sweetheart" Shannon finished, placing a kiss on her daughter's temple.

Gibbs watched the scene with tears in his eyes. When Kelly and Jake had come to them and told them Kelly was pregnant, he and Shannon had been thrilled. The timing couldn't have been better. Gibbs was two months away from retirement, and had spent the remaining months of Kelly's pregnancy building custom wooden furniture for her nursery. His task had doubled shortly after it began when Kelly came over beaming one day after her appointment and announced she was expecting twins. Around the time Kelly hit her seven-month mark, however, she began having some difficulties. By her eighth month she was confined to bed rest. Then, two weeks before her due date, she was admitted to the hospital. Those two weeks were tense and stressful for Shannon, Gibbs, and Jake, and by extent the MCRT. Tony immediately asked for his team to be taken off rotation and work just cold cases so they could spend all their free time either with Shannon and Gibbs, or Jake, or Kelly. The stress had reached it's peak however when Kelly's body began trying to shut down the previous morning. After several other routes had failed to improve her health, the doctors had had to perform an emergency C-section to save both her life, and the lives of her children. There had been complications, which had required 4 additional hours of surgery. By the time Kelly had been wheeled back into her room, everyone had been at the hospital and awake for 21 hours.

"Have you decided on names yet?" Tony asked softly, torn between keeping a protective eye over the woman he had come to love as a little sister and his desire "ooh and ahh" over the new babies like Ziva, Tim, and Abby were currently doing. None of them would bring it up now that she was out of danger, but they had all been terrified when Gibbs had called them at 3am the previous day.

Kelly bit her lip and glanced at Jake. "Well we wanted Uncle Mike to be here when we told you, but we won't keep you waiting." Nodding to Jake, he stepped forward proudly.

"Everyone, meet Liam Adam Scott and Caitlyn Grace Scott." For a split second, the team didn't react, overcome with emotion.

"Those are beautiful names," Ziva said moving forward to squeeze Kelly's shoulder.

"You don't think Uncle Mike will mind, do you?" Kelly asked, suddenly unsure. Gibbs started to respond, but Ziva beat him to an answer.

"No Kelly," she responded with tears in her eyes. "He'll be honored to have his son remembered in such a way."

"And I can't think of a better way to keep Kate alive in our memories and hearts," Tim said added, speaking up for the first time.

"Plus," Abby said, her eyes watery as well. "It assures that your children will have two very special guardians."

Smiling at her family, Kelly felt her heart burst with love. Looking between her newborn children, Kelly couldn't help feel like the most blessed person in the entire world. Glancing at her father, she knew without a doubt in that moment, he was feeling the exact same way. Their eyes met and they shared a smile.

"Would you like to hold your new granddaughter, grandpa?" Kelly asked, her eyes shining.

**A/N: **On a side note, I started this chapter long before the premise for "Life Before His Eyes" was even released. That being said, that episode did nothing to change the direction of this chapter. It completely broke my heart that "happily ever after" was never in the cards for the Gibbs's. I chose not to let that semi AU episode alter this chapter because the point of this story was to give the characters the lives that, in canon and even the shows version of AU, were just out of their reach no matter what. Anyway, please let me know what you think. I have really enjoyed writing this; I hope you have enjoyed reading it. ^_^


End file.
